New Beginnings
by divcon
Summary: What happens when Mr Schue needs some new kids? Will anyone be game enough to join the glee club? I've written this just to write for Damian and Hannah. I hope you read this as the summary isn't the best.
1. Chapter 1

**A/NOTE: I fell in love with Damian and Hannah on The Glee Project so I have written them a fic. It has all the older cast and some of the kids from TGP. Damian is Ciaran (pronounced Kieran), Hannah is Chirssy and Lyndsay is Sienna (sorta). Samuel is there but not till a later chapter. I hope you enjoy. Let me know cause that's what feeds me. Thanks for reading and have fun with the new ones.**

**NEW BEGINNINGS**

"So, who is he Rachel?" Finn asked as he looked over at the younger guy who had walked into school with her.

"Relax Finn, he's my cousin. I told you that he would be staying with us. He arrived a couple of days ago. He's been getting settled at home. My dads have been showing him about town over the weekend."

"What's his name?" Kurt asked as he and Blaine walked over to them.

"His name is Ciaran McMahon, he's from Ireland."

"How long is he going to be here?" Blaine asked.

"Only for six months and then he's going home but his parents are considering moving here so he could be back next year or he just may not go home. I guess it depends on whether his dad can find a job while he's in New York."

"Do you have to stay with him all day?"

"No, he's a sophomore so I'm sure Figgins will get another sophomore to show him around."

Finn nodded and smiled as he draped his arm around Rachel's shoulders and they walked down the hallway, chatting with Kurt and Blaine, who were holding hands. Blaine had transferred to McKinley at the start of the school year. His father had taken a substantial hit during the Global Financial Crisis and he had offered to leave Dalton so that they didn't have to find his tuition fees. The other reason was so he could be with Kurt everyday but he hadn't told his father that. What none of the kids had seen as they'd been talking was Karofsky, who was staring at Kurt and when he looked over at Blaine his hands fisted and his jaw tightened as his teeth clenched. He had to move on, he knew that, but he just couldn't do it.

"So Ciaran, here is your timetable. I'll show you to your homeroom and Miss Carter will have someone show you around for the day. If you have any problems, find a teacher and they will help you out. I hope you enjoy your time here at McKinley." Figgins stood up, smiling as he walked around his desk. Ciaran picked up his bag and followed him out of the office. He looked around at the hustle and bustle of the students as they rushed to their classrooms. Many of them gave him a curious look and many of the girls giggled as they passed him. He just smiled and shook his head. He had no intention of getting involved with anyone. He would only be here for six months. Sure, his dad had said that they might move here permanently but Ciaran was hoping that that wasn't the case. He loved Derry and he really hadn't even wanted to come now but his parents had insisted. He just wished that he'd been able to stay with his dad in New York but his dad had said no. He'd said that he'd be flat out looking for work and would hardly be home.

So here he was, in backwater Ohio, trying to figure out what he was going to do for the next six months. His uncles were cool. He'd grown up hearing about them, his mother always spoke of her older brother lovingly and Ciaran had know from an early age that he was gay. When he'd been old enough to understand, he'd asked his mother how two men could have a child together. His mother had sat him down and told him how Trevor and Nathan had found a surrogate to carry their child. Ciaran was amazed by all that they had done to have a child and he knew that his cousin had been loved from the very start, much like him. His thoughts were interrupted by Figgins who had stopped in front of an open door. He knocked briskly before entering the room. He introduced Ciaran to Miss Carter and then he turned, still smiling and walked out of the room. Miss Carter extended her hand and she shook his. She asked him to stay where he was and then she turned back to the rest of the class.

"OK, everyone quiet down. That means you too Joey."

The class started to settle down and Ciaran could feel their eyes all turning to him. He hoped that the teacher wouldn't make him stand there for much longer.

"Alright shush. As you can see, we have a new student joining us today. His name is Ciaran McMahon; he'll be here for six months."

The class started murmuring again. Ciaran couldn't really make out what they were saying but he could once again hear some giggling coming from a couple of the girls in the class.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself Ciaran?"

"Um, ok. Well I come from Derry City, which is in Ireland. I'm staying here with my cousin while my dad is looking for work in New York. My dad is Irish and my mum is American."

Not sure what else to say, Ciaran stopped talking and waited for Miss Carter to address the class again. Chrissy sat at her desk and watched him intently. Her eyes had been drawn to him as soon as he'd entered the room and her breath had caught in her throat. Just as she had started to breathe normally it had caught again when he'd started to talk. She knew that it was stupid to be like this but damn, that boy was hot. She knew that he wouldn't even look twice at her but man it was nice to dream.

"He's cute." Sienna whispered as she nudged Chrissy's arm. Chrissy smiled at her friend and nodded. Sienna attracted all the boys. She was a natural beauty but she was more that that. She had a beautiful soul and a kind heart. They had been friends since grade school, when Chrissy had come to Sienna's defence when a boy had been picking on her because she had spoken with a lisp and a heavy Spanish accent. When she turned her attention back to the front of the class Miss Carter was talking again, asking for volunteers to show Ciaran around the school for the day.

As usual it was only the girls who volunteered but instead of only a handful, all of the girls had raised their hands. Justine Carter knew why most of them wanted to do it and she didn't think that Ciaran deserved that. Then her eyes fell on Chrissy, who had her hand half up. She had taught Chrissy in English last year and she knew that she was a smart, kind girl who would take this responsibility seriously.

"Chrissy, you can show Ciaran around." She announced to the class amid moans from the other girls. Chrissy blushed slightly when Ciaran took the seat next to her. She could hear Sienna laughing softly beside her so she swiftly kicked her under the table and she was pleased to hear a soft moan escape her friend's lips. Turning her attention to Ciaran, she held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Christine Hallett, but just call me Chrissy. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too Chrissy." He replied as he shook her hand.

Chrissy felt the tingle go all the way up her arm and she quickly let go of his hand. She asked him to show her his timetable so she could see where he had to go today. Ciaran handed her the form and watched as she read it. He'd seen her blush but he had paid no mind to it. Actually, she reminded him of a good friend back home. Someone he missed

dearly. He hadn't realised that he'd been staring at her until she looked up and pierced him with her stunning blue eyes. He'd always been a sucker for blue eyes. When she caught him staring, she started to blush again but she didn't call him out on it.

"So it looks like we have a lot of classes together. We have English, Maths, Spanish and Drama at the same time. That's lucky. Also, our other classes that we don't have the same, the classrooms are close together."

"Miss Carter must have known something when she teamed us up." He said with a smile and a wink.

Chrissy laughed and shook her head as she handed him his timetable back. "Did you kiss the Blarney Stone before you came over?"

Ciaran laughed back, he liked this girl. They could be great friends, they shared a similar sense of humour, and that was what he needed right about now. When the bell rang, he stood up quickly and helped pull out Chrissy's chair as she stood up. She looked at him blankly for a moment before she murmured a thankyou. When they had left the room another girl joined them. Actually, she squeezed in between them and started talking.

"Hi, I'm Sienna, Chrissy's best friend. So if you ever want to know anything about her, just ask me."

"Si, be quiet. Please."

"She's just shy. But once she gets to know you, you wont' be able to shut her up."

Ciaran laughed again as he looked down at the petite brunette. She was a stunner but Ciaran had no interest in just good looks. There had to be something under the surface. Now Chrissy, on the other hand, he could sense that there was more to her. He quickly put the brakes on those thoughts. He was only here for six months; he wasn't going to start anything with anyone. Not only did he not want to hurt anyone, he himself did want to end up with a broken heart either.

"English class is this way. Let's go." Chrissy said in a rushed voice. "We don't want to be late. Mr Griffin is a bear if you are."

The next few hours were pretty much the same. Rushing through the hallways to get to class on time. Chrissy introducing Ciaran to each new teacher who then introduced him to the rest of the class.

"I thought our classes would have pretty much the same kids in each lesson." Ciaran stated was they walked out of Maths class and headed to the cafeteria.

"Freshman and sophomore usually are but we're in the accelerated class. Each class will have kids from different homerooms."

Ciaran nodded silently as he absorbed the information. No wonder he had found the class work a little harder than he had expected. As they entered the cafeteria he saw Rachel wave at him from the middle of the room. She beckoned him to join her but he shook his head and followed Chrissy to a table where Sienna was already seated.

"Shouldn't we get our food first?"

"Trust me, you want to get a table first, they go fast." She said as she sat down next to Sienna.

"Finally, now I can go and get something to eat. Give me your money and tell me what you want."

"The usual." Chrissy said as she handed over her money. "Take Ciaran with you so he can see what's there."

When they'd gotten into line, Sienna turned to Ciaran and raised her eyebrows at him.

"What?"

"I've seen you looking at Chrissy and I'm here to tell you that you had better treat her right. If you hurt her, I'll come after you."

"Whoa Sienna. We only met today. Yes, she intrigues me but I can promise you that I have no intention of hurting her."

"I have to take you word but first off let me lay it out for you. Make sure you listen. Chrissy isn't like the other girls at this school. For one thing, she doesn't look like most of them and she's taken a lot of bullying about it over the years. She doesn't let on how much it hurts her. She has a big heart and she cares deeply for her friends. So you best treat her right."

"Sienna, I'm not looking for anything more than friendship. I'm only going to be here for six months. I'll make sure she knows that and you can trust me. I'll be very kind and gentle when I tell her."

Sienna smiled and slapped him on the arm before telling him that they would be great friends after all. Ciaran placed his hand on his arm where Sienna had slapped him and smiled weakly as he rubbed the spot gently, wondering what he'd let himself in for.

"There he is." Brittney said to no one in particular.

"He who, Boo?" Kurt asked absently, not really expecting an intelligent answer.

"The boy who talks funny. I heard him in the office this morning. He was talking to Figgins and he sounded weird."

Kurt and Mercedes looked up to where Brittney was pointing. When they saw the boy, Mercedes' expression of confusion didn't change but Kurt's expression did. He turned back to look at Brittney, took hold of her hand and pulled her down into the chair next to him.

"That's Ciaran. He's Rachel's cousin."

"But why does he sound so weird?"

"He's from Ireland. He's on an exchange thingy."

"What's he exchanging?" She asked, looking even more confused.

Kurt looked over at Mercedes for help but all she gave him was a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes. Kurt turned back to Brittney and explained what he actually meant. When he'd finished, he looked slightly frustrated and Brittney looked slightly less confused. Before he could ask her again if she understood, Rachel and Finn joined them.

"I just saw Mr Schue and he said that there would be a glee meeting this afternoon. He's posting an audition list on the student notice board. He's hoping to get some new kids to sign up.

"Why?" Brittney asked in her innocent voice.

Santana held her hand up to stop Rachel from speaking as she turned to her best friend and took her hand in her free one.

"Brit, honey, we're all seniors this year which means, we will be leaving McKinley at the end of the year. Mr Schue won't have any kids left in glee club. If he wants the glee club to continue, he needs new people."

"Ah, now I understand." Brittney said, causing Santana to pat her hand and smile endearingly at her.

"Well let's hope some of the more braver kids sign up. When you consider how much flack we've coped, I'm not sure many will."

"Oh, I don't know. I signed up, didn't I?" Blaine said.

"Yeah, but we know why you joined." Quinn said with a sly grin.

Blaine just shrugged his shoulders and smirked before leaning in to Kurt and giving him a quick kiss. Puck made a show of throwing up but everyone just laughed as they all knew that Puck was the first to defend his friends if anyone ever said anything derogative about them. Lauren gave him a gentle slap across the back of his head and he turned to here, giving her his hurt puppy dog look which she laughed at before giving him a kiss. They then all settled down and started to eat their lunches. Rachel kept glancing over to where Ciaran was sitting with the two girls. They were laughing and smiling and Rachel was glad. It seemed like he had found a couple of friends already.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**** Thank you to all who read and reviewed, alerted and all that. It means so much that you like my story. So here is the second chapter, hope you enjoy. I hope to have the next chapter up in the next day or two. Reviews are greatly appreciated. **

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Let's show Ciaran around for a bit. Let him know where some of the main buildings are." Chrissy said as they finished their food.

"I'm up for that." Ciaran responded. So the three of them stood and walked out of the cafeteria. As they passed through the door, Sienna put her arm through Ciaran's. Chrissy noticed this and wished that she had the guts to do the same thing. Just as she was thinking this, she felt Ciaran's arm thread through hers. She looked down with a start and then up to his face to see him smiling at her. She smiled back at him and felt her heart flutter. Looking away quickly, she gave herself a stern talking to, telling herself that she had only just met this guy and that he wouldn't see her as anything more than a new friend. As they passed the notice board, Sienna stopped suddenly, causing the other two to stumble into each other.

"Sorry Chrissy." Ciaran murmured softly as he released the hold he had on her arms and rubbed them gently before turning his attention to Sienna.

"What's going on Sienna?"

"They've posted the sign-up sheets for all of the clubs and extra-curricular activates. Check them out."

They stood in front of the board and looked at the variety of groups that were on offer. Immediately Chrissy's eyes were drawn to the glee club. She'd not been brave enough to sign up last year and she had regretted it. This year, she would not let fear hold her back. She loved to sing and she wanted to be a part of something this year. She reached out to grab the pencil that was attached to the sheet by a piece of string but her hand collided with Ciaran's who was reaching for the same pencil. He moved his hand away quickly, feeling a small shock from the contact and he let Chrissy sign her name. He then wrote his name underneath hers.

"Chrissy, are you sure? You know the sort of crap that the glee club attracts at this school."

"I'm sure. You know how much I love to sing. I think the glee club would be a perfect fit for me." Chrissy stopped talking and she chewed at her bottom lip as she looked at Ciaran, trying to decide if she should continue talking. She finally decided to go on. "I already get bullied because of my size, so I might as well be with people who are also more, how do you say it, individual."

Sienna reached out and gently grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it, knowing what Chrissy had gone through the previous year. She had tried to deflect most of it but she couldn't be with her friend for every minute of every day. It made her so mad that the morons at this school couldn't see how wonderful she was.

Ciaran stood back and watched the two girls and he saw the comfort that Chrissy received from that one touch of her friend and he realised how close these two girls were. Turning his attention away from the girls, he watched the other kids as they walked down the hall passed them, trying to work out who had bullied his new friend. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't' know that the girls were looking at him. It was only when Sienna slapped his shoulder that he realised that they were waiting. He smiled and joined them as they headed off, showing him where things were.

"OK guys, settle down." Mr Schue called out. "The auditions for the new club members will be in 30 minutes in the auditorium and I'd like you all to be there. Now, as we know, unless they can't sing at all they will of course be welcomed here. Don't get me wrong, they won't be replacing you, no one could, but I am going to need some new singers. Now let's show these new guys our support and welcome them to our family. OK?"

He was proud when all the kids agreed with nods, claps and cheers.

"How many kids signed the sheet Mr Schue?" Tina asked.

"Five kids signed up. At least, there were five names listed."

The kids looked between themselves; they all knew that many of the students would find it funny to write fake names on the list. They had done it before. Everyone hoped that at least a couple of those names were real and that they actually showed up.

"Let's go guys. It's time to head to the auditorium."

Everyone stood up and left the rehearsal room, followed by Mr Schue. It still amazed him at times how close these kids had become over the last few years. Sure, they still bickered and had the occasional fight but when push came to shove, they were there for each other. Who would have thought two years ago that Puck would be good friends with Kurt, the boy he threw into the dumpster on a regular basis. Or that Quinn and Mercedes would have a deep friendship when on the surface it looked as if they had nothing in common. He was going to miss these kids. They had come to mean so much to him. When they entered the auditorium, the kids sat down in the rows at the front of the room and Will sat at the directors table in the middle of the room. He noticed that Brad was once again sitting at the piano. He absently wondered how he always managed to be there when they needed him; did the man not have a life? Shaking his head on that thought he raised his hand indicating that the auditions should begin.

When a young man walked out, Will heard Rachel gasp before hearing Santana tell her to be quiet. Will wondered what was going on but then the boy on stage started to speak and he realised that he must be Rachel's cousin from Ireland.

"Hello, my name is Ciaran McMahon and I'll be singing 'Home' by Michael Buble."

"OK, great, whenever you are ready."

Ciaran nodded and took a deep breath before he turned to the musicians behind him and nodded for them to start the music.

_Another summer day  
>Has come and gone away<br>In Paris and Rome  
>But I wanna go home<br>Mmmmmmmm_

_May be surrounded by_  
><em>A million people I<em>  
><em>Still feel all alone<em>  
><em>I just wanna go home<em>  
><em>Oh, I miss you, you know<em>

_And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you_  
><em>Each one a line or two<em>  
><em>"I'm fine baby, how are you?"<em>  
><em>Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough<em>  
><em>My words were cold and flat<em>  
><em>And you deserve more than that<em>

_Another aeroplane_  
><em>Another sunny place<em>  
><em>I'm lucky, I know<em>  
><em>But I wanna go home<em>  
><em>Mmmm, I've got to go home<em>

_Let me go home_  
><em>I'm just too far from where you are<em>  
><em>I wanna come home<em>

"He's good." Kurt murmured to Blaine before turning to Rachel. "Did you know he could sing?"

"No." She responded in shock.

_And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life_  
><em>It's like I just stepped outside<em>  
><em>When everything was going right<em>  
><em>And I know just why you could not<em>  
><em>Come along with me<em>  
><em>'Cause this was not your dream<em>  
><em>But you always believed in me<em>

_Another winter day has come_  
><em>And gone away<em>  
><em>In even Paris and Rome<em>

_And I wanna go home  
>Let me go home<em>

_And I'm surrounded by_  
><em>A million people I<em>  
><em>Still feel all alone<em>  
><em>Oh, let me go home<em>  
><em>Oh, I miss you, you know<em>

_Let me go home_  
><em>I've had my run<em>  
><em>Baby, I'm done<em>  
><em>I gotta go home<em>  
><em>Let me go home<em>  
><em>It will all be all right<em>  
><em>I'll be home tonight<em>  
><em>I'm coming back home<em>

When he'd finished, everyone, including Will, stood up and clapped. Ciaran stood there as they cheered and when they had stopped he thanked them and he left the stage, walking over to Chrissy who was waiting for him in the wings.

"That was awesome Ciaran. You have an amazing voice. It's not fair that I have to go out there after you."

"You'll do wonderfully. Now go out there and show them."

With a gentle push from Ciaran, Chrissy made her way onto the stage. When she reached the mike, Chrissy stood there and looked out into the darkened auditorium. She knew that the glee club were there because she had seen them when she'd been waiting in the wings. She could clearly see Mr Schue sitting in the middle of the room, smiling at her.

"Hi, my name is Chrissy Hallett and I'll be singing 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' by Dusty Springfield."

"That sounds great, when you're ready."

Chrissy closed her eyes and focused her thoughts before nodding to the musicians.

_When I said I needed you  
>You said you would always stay<br>It wasn't me who changed but you  
>And now you've gone away<em>

_Don't you see_  
><em>That now you've gone<em>  
><em>And I'm left here on my own<em>  
><em>That I have to follow you<em>  
><em>And beg you to come home?<em>

_You don't have to say you love me  
>Just be close at hand<br>You don't have to stay forever  
>I will understand<br>Believe me, believe me  
>I can't help but love you<br>But believe me  
>I'll never tie you down <em>

Ciaran stood in the wings and listened to Chrissy singing and he was mesmerized. She put so much emotion into the song and her voice was beautiful.

_Left alone with just a memory_  
><em>Life seems dead and so unreal<em>  
><em>All that's left is loneliness<em>  
><em>There's nothing left to feel<em>

_You don't have to say you love me_  
><em>Just be close at hand<em>  
><em>You don't have to stay forever<em>  
><em>I will understand<em>  
><em>Believe me, believe me<em>

_You don't have to say you love me_  
><em>Just be close at hand<em>  
><em>You don't have to stay forever<em>  
><em>I will understand<em>  
><em>Believe me, believe me, believe me<em>

When she'd finished, once again everyone clapped and cheered. Chrissy felt a surge of pure joy, like nothing she had ever felt before. She felt wanted. She was so happy that she had stepped up and done it.

"Thank you Chrissy."

Chrissy gave a small wave and then made her way off stage where Ciaran wrapped her in his arms and gave her a big hug of congratulations.

"When you two are quite finished, I'd like to get onto the stage."

Ciaran and Chrissy jumped apart as if they'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Sienna, what are you doing here?"

"Well duh, I'm here to audition for the glee club."

"But you don't' sing." Chrissy said dumbstruck. She'd known Sienna for years and not once had she said anything about singing. Chrissy just stood and watched as her friend walked calmly up to the mike.

"Hello, my name is Sienna Cartoni and I'll be singing 'According To You' by Orianthi." She then turned her back on the audience and pointed to the guys behind her to start the music.

_According to you I'm stupid, I'm useless  
>I can't do anything right<br>According to you I'm difficult, hard to please  
>Forever changing my mind<em>

_I'm a mess in a dress, can't show up on time_  
><em>Even if it would save my life<em>  
><em>According to you, according to you<em>

_But according to him I'm beautiful, incredible_  
><em>He can't get me out of his head<em>  
><em>According to him I'm funny, irresistible<em>  
><em>Everything he ever wanted<em>

_Everything is opposite, I don't feel like stopping it_  
><em>So baby tell me what I got to lose<em>  
><em>He's into me for everything I'm not<em>  
><em>According to you<em>

_According to you I'm boring, I'm moody_  
><em>And you can't take me any place<em>  
><em>According to you I suck at telling jokes<em>  
><em>'Cause I always give it away<em>

When she had started to sing, all Chrissy could do was stare at her best friend. Her voice was amazing. How could she have not known this about her friend? Her smile grew as Sienna continued to sing.

_I'm the girl with the worst attention span  
>You're the boy who puts up with that<br>According to you, according to you_

_But according to him I'm beautiful, incredible_  
><em>He can't get me out of his head<em>  
><em>According to him I'm funny, irresistible<em>  
><em>Everything he ever wanted<em>

_Everything is opposite, I don't feel like stopping it_  
><em>So baby tell me what I got to lose<em>  
><em>He's into me for everything I'm not<em>  
><em>According to you<em>

_I need to feel appreciated_  
><em>Like I'm not hated, oh no<em>  
><em>Why can't you see me through his eyes?<em>  
><em>It's too bad, you're making me dizzy<em>

_But according to me you're stupid, you're useless_  
><em>You can't do anything right<em>

_But according to him I'm beautiful, incredible_  
><em>He can't get me out of his head<em>  
><em>According to him I'm funny, irresistible<em>  
><em>Everything he ever wanted<em>

_Everything is opposite, I don't feel like stopping it_  
><em>Baby tell me what I got to lose<em>  
><em>He's into me for everything I'm not<em>  
><em>According to you, you<em>  
><em>According to you, you<em>

_According to you I'm stupid, I'm useless_  
><em>I can't do anything right<em>.

As soon as the last note was sung, Chrissy started to clap and cheer for her friend. She didn't have to worry about being heard because, as before, the rest of the glee club were cheering as well. Sienna was grinning from ear to ear as she left the stage and she was immediately swept into a hug from Chrissy as soon as she stepped into the wings. She then felt Ciaran's arms wrap around her shoulders as well and they all started to laugh. They only stopped when someone cleared their throat behind them. As the three of them looked up, they saw a guy with dreadlocks waiting to get passed them. They stepped out of his way with an apology.

Rachel looked back to Mr. Schue and smiled as she gave him the thumbs up. It looked like he might actually get five new members. She just hoped that none of them expected to get a lead this year. They would just have to wait until next year. It was hard enough winning them over the current glee clubbers, even though she was still clearly the best singer in the group. Her attention was then drawn to the boy walking across the stage, his dreadlocks making a statement._  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** Hello there, well here is the next chapter. I had the idea of writing a Hairspray themed glee fic quite a while ago but just decided to roll it into this one. I had no idea when I wrote this chapter that they would use 'You Can't Stop The Beat'. Hope you enjoy and I'll endeavour to have the next chapter up soon. I have condensed some of the songs, as they do in the show. Reviews would be appreciated.**

**CHAPTER THREE**

Will watched the boy as he made his way over to the mike. He wondered if he would be singing something with a reggae feel. If he did, it would be interesting trying to figure out how to integrate his sound into the group.

"Hi, my name is Rick Grooms and I'll be singing 'Crying' by Roy Orbison.

Will's eyebrows rose in surprise and he told Rick to start whenever he was ready.

_I was all right for a while, I could smile for a while  
>But I saw you last night, you held my hand so tight<br>As you stopped to say "Hello"  
>Aww you wished me well, you couldn't tell<em>

_That I'd been cry-i-i-i-ng over you, cry-i-i-i-ng over you  
>Then you said "so long". left me standing all alone<br>Alone and crying, crying, crying cry-i-ing  
>It's hard to understand but the touch of your hand<br>Can start me crying_

Will smiled as he listened, he should have known better than to judge someone by the way they looked. This kid had raw talent and a hell of a voice.

_I thought that I was over you but it's tru-ue, so true  
>I love you even more than I did before but darling what can I do-o-o-o<br>For you don't love me and I'll always be_

_Cry-i-i-i-ng over you, cry-i-i-i-ng over you  
>Yes, now you're gone and from this moment on<br>I'll be crying, crying, crying, cry-i-i-ing  
>Yeah crying, crying, o-o-o-o-ver you<em>

When he finished singing, there was a moments silence as everyone took in what they had just heard. Then there was a loud explosion of cheers and applause. It took a while for them to settle back down. When they did, Will called for the last auditioner to take the stage. When no one came out, he called out again. The only movement from the stage was when Ciaran popped his head out from behind the curtain to tell him that there was no one else waiting.

Nodding his head, he told the four of them to come back out onto the stage. As they gathered in the centre of the stage, Will stood up and walked down to where the rest of the glee kids were sitting. Even though he knew that they would all, of course, join, he looked to his kids and saw them all smiling and nodding, so Will didn't wait any longer.

"Congratulations everyone, welcome to the glee club. If you'd like to come and take a seat. I want to talk to you all."

He waited until everyone was settled before continuing.

"Principal Figgins informed me this morning that in a month the Governor will be in Ohio and he will be coming to McKinley. Now, the Cheerios will be putting on a performance and he's asked us to put on our own performance as well." He waited wile the kids talked amongst themselves. He eventually held up his hand to quieten them down then he told them what he wanted to do. "The performance I want to do is 'You Can't Stop The Beat'. I want us to do the full performance, including the dance." He watched their expressions. Naturally Brittney and Mike looked excited. He would need them to choreograph the routine and teach it to the others. Finn looked horrified, he had really only managed to conquer the most basic of steps. The new kids probably looked the most nervous but he knew that the other kids would help them out.

"Mr Schue, you'll be wanting me to perform the lead of course." Rachel stated.

Before he could respond Lauren stood up and looked at her incredulously. "There is no way that you should assume that this lead is yours." She said before turning to Mr Schue. "I want to sing the lead on this song."

Schue held up his hands again and asked Lauren to sit down, which she did whilst still staring at Rachel.

"Ok, the only fair way to choose who will sing the individual leads is this. I will put up a sheet in the rehearsal room. What I want you to do is to write your name on the list and the role you want to audition for." He paused, turning to where the new kids were sitting. "And I want you guys to put your name on the list if you want to try out for a role. The sheet will be up tomorrow morning and we'll do the auditions the following afternoon. Now that's all for today, thanks guys and again, welcome to our new members. Mike, Brittney, can I have a quick word before you go?"

They both nodded and Mike gave Tina a quick kiss, giving her his car keys and telling her that he would be there as soon as he could. She waved at him and walked out with the rest of the kids.

"So, why didn't you tell me that you could sing?" Rachel asked as she walked beside Ciaran.

"You never asked me." Ciaran replied.

"Dude, you rocked it." Finn said, slapping him on the back. "I'm Finn by the way, I'm Rachel's boyfriend."

"Hi Finn, nice to meet you. I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you over the next few months." He watched as Finn grinned and nodded. "Although, I'm a little worried about that dance routine. I can't dance."

"Neither can Finn." Puck called out form in front of them. "You two can be bookends then. Just leave the cool moves to the rest of us."

Rachel just rolled her eyes and linked her arm through Finn's, patting his hand. She asked Ciaran if he wanted a lift home but he declined, informing her that he would be going for a coffee with Chrissy and Sienna. She nodded and then waved goodbye. He walked over to where the girls were waiting for him.

"So, that was fun." He said smiling at them. "Are you going to try out for one of the leads?"

Both girls just shook their head but didn't say a word. Chrissy was looking at him, her eyes wide while Sienna had her arms crossed and was watching him through squinted eyes.

"Um, what's wrong?"

Chrissy opened her mouth but then promptly shut it before uttering a single word. She looked over at Sienna who it would seem had no problem speaking.

"Why didn't you tell us that you knew the quarterback?"

"What? Who are you talking about?"

"The quarterback, Finn Hudson."

"Oh him, I don't know him. Not really."

"Then why were you having an in-depth conversation with him?"

"Look, he was only introducing himself to me. He's dating my cousin."

"Oh, he's just dating your cousin. Oh well…..wait. Your cousin is Rachel Berry?"

Ciaran just nodded and stared at his friends, wondering why they'd gone weird all of a sudden. He looked from one girl to the other but while Sienna just stared back, Chrissy wouldn't look directly at him so he knew that she was the one to approach.

He took a step towards her, lowered his head and caught her eyes with his. When she darted her eyes away, he moved his head to keep their eyes connected. When she realized that he wouldn't' let it go, she lifted her head and he slowly stood up. He gently took her hands in his and spoke softly to her.

"So, Rachel is my cousin, why are you so freaked? To be honest, I never really knew her, we probably only ever met once or twice before I arrived here." When Chrissy didn't answer he gave her a cheeky grin and tugged softly on her hands. "Come on, you can tell me."

"It's embarrassing; I don't want to tell you."

"Please." He said, looking at her pleadingly

Chrissy looked at him and couldn't help but smile at his expression. Without a conscious thought, she raised her hand and gently patted his cheek. When she realized what she was doing, she quickly dropped her hand and blushed but she kept eye contact with him. He had kind eyes and that helped her decide that she could trust him not to make fun of her. Taking a deep breath, she told him why she was acting weird.

"I greatly admire Rachel. Her voice is so amazing and her commitment to her music inspires me but I've always been to shy to talk to her. Actually, she also scares me."

"Awwwwwwww, come here you ninny. How about I introduce you. Don't let her intimidate you. You have just as much talent as she does. She's just not that shy about letting everyone know how good she is." He then wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. Chrissy relished the feeling of being in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder as he rubbed his hands up and down her back. As she opened her eyes, she saw Sienna watching them and she saw the look of concern cross her face. Chrissy knew that Sienna worried about her and she knew that in the past she had had good reason. This time however, even though she thought Ciaran was amazing, she knew to step back. He seemed to be an amazing guy and she knew that he would be a great friend and she'd be damned if she'd let herself scare him away. She tried to convey this to Sienna in a look; she just hoped that her friend understood her message.

Ciaran didn't want to let Chrissy go. She felt so right in his arms. All his plans about not getting involved seemed to be flying out of the window. Somehow in the space of a day, she had worked herself into his heart. He'd seen how exuberated she was when she was mucking around with Sienna, how vulnerable she could be when she'd been talking about being bullied and how passionate and happy she'd been when she was singing. Chrissy had a lot of layers and he wanted to find out everything about her. Reluctantly he let her go and took a step back from her, but he didn't let her go completely. He made sure that he held onto her hand. He saw her look down at their joined hands and she tried to pull hers away but he held fast and then when he saw concern enter her eyes, he reached out and grabbed Sienna's hand as well.

"Come on, I thought you girls were going to take me out for coffee."

Will looked at the piece of paper that he had just removed. Sure enough, Rachel had written her name down as did Lauren, Puck, Finn, Mercedes, Quinn and Blaine.

Looking to see what roles they had written down he wasn't surprised to see that Rachel and Lauren had written down the role of Tracey, while Puck and Finn would be trying out for Link. Surprisingly, Quinn was going for the role of Penny and Blaine wanted to be Corny. Finally, Mercedes had put down Maybelle. He was sure that the auditions this afternoon would be interesting. He then remembered that he had to put Jaimie's name on the list. He quickly did just that and then headed off to afternoon classes.

When he returned to the rehearsal room after school, all the kids were already there waiting for him. Lauren was still glaring at Rachel and Puck was quietly talking to her.

"OK guys; let's get this show on the road. First things first though. Seeing as Quinn and Blaine were the only ones to want to audition for Penny and Corny, the roles are theirs."

Blaine leaned over and high-fived Quinn, who laughed.

"As for the other's, we'll start right now. After the performances for each character, the rest of the glee club will vote for who they think should get the role. So, we'll go with the Tracey character first. Rachel, are you ready?"

Rachel nodded and walked over to the mike. She took a moment to centre herself and when she was ready, she nodded to Brad who started to play.

_Oh, oh, oh  
>Woke up today<br>Feeling the way i always do _

_Oh, oh, oh  
>Hungry for something<br>That i can't eat  
>Then i hear that beat<br>The rhythm of town  
>Starts calling me down<br>It's like a message from  
>High above <em>

_Oh, oh, oh  
>Pulling me out<br>To the smiles and the  
>Streets that i love<em>

_Good morning Baltimore_  
><em>Every day's like an open door<em>  
><em>Every night is a fantasy<em>  
><em>Every sound's like a symphony<em>

_Good morning Baltimore_  
><em>And some day when i take to the floor<em>  
><em>The world's gonna wake up and see<em>  
><em>Baltimore and me<em>

_So, Oh, Oh  
>Give me a chance<br>'Cause when i start to dance i'm a movie star  
>Oh, oh, oh<br>Something inside of me makes me move  
>When i hear the groove<em>

_My ma tells me no_  
><em>But my feet tell me go!<em>  
><em>It's like a drummer inside my heart<em>  
><em>Oh, oh, oh<em>  
><em>Don't make me wait<em>  
><em>One more moment for my life to start...<em>

_I love you Baltimore_  
><em>Every day's like an open door<em>  
><em>Every night is a fantasy<em>  
><em>Every sound's like a symphony<em>

_And i promise Baltimore_  
><em>That some day when<em>  
><em>I take to the floor<em>  
><em>The world's gonna wake up and see<em>  
><em>Gonna wake up and see<em>  
><em>Baltimore and me...<em>

When she'd finished, everyone clapped, including Lauren. Even though she wouldn't say it out loud, she knew that Rachel had nailed that song.

"Wow Rachel, that was great but you haven't won the role just yet. Now it's Lauren's turn to show us what she can do for Tracey."

Puck gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as she got up and made her way to the mike.

"Hit it Brad."

_I can hear the bells; well don't you hear 'em chime?_

_Can't you feel my heart-beat keeping perfect time? And all because he..._

_Touched me,_  
><em>He looked at me and stared yes he...<em>

_Bumped me,_  
><em>My heart was unprepared when he...<em>

_Tapped me,_  
><em>And knocked me off my feet, one little touch now my life's complete 'cause when he...<em>

_Nudged me,_  
><em>Love put me in a fix yes it...<em>

_Hit me,_  
><em>Just like a tonne of bricks, yes my heart burst now I know what life's about, one little touch and love's knocked me out<em>  
><em>and...<em>

_I can hear the bells,_  
><em>Just hear them chiming,<em>  
><em>I can hear the bells,<em>  
><em>My temperature's climbing,<em>  
><em>I can't contain my joy 'cause I've finally found the boy I've been missin'<em>

_LISTEN!_

_I can hear the bells._

Lauren walked over to Puck and continued to sing.

_Round 1,  
>He'll ask me on a date, and then...<em>

_Round 2,_  
><em>I'll primp but won't be late, because<em>

_Round 3's  
>When we kiss inside his car!<br>Won't go all the way but I'll go pretty fa-ar_

_Round 4,  
>He'll ask me for my hand, and then...<em>

_Round 5,_  
><em>We'll book the wedding band, so by...<em>

She then walked over to stand in front of Santana.

_Round 6,  
>Amber, much to your surprise, this heavy-weight champion takes the prize<em>

She then headed back to stand in front of the piano to finish her song.

_I can hear the bells,  
>My head is reeling,<br>I can hear the bells,  
>I can't stop the peeling,<br>Everybody warns that he won't like what he'll see but I know that he'll look inside of me yeah..._

_I can hear the bells,_  
><em>Today's just the start 'cause,<em>  
><em>I can hear the bells and,<em>  
><em>Till death do us part and,<em>  
><em>Even when we die we'll look down from up above remembering the night that we two fell in love, <em>_We both will shed a tear and_  
><em>he'll whisper as we're remanisn'<em>

_LISTEN!_

_I can hear the bells._

As she sat back down, she leant over and planted a kiss on Puck's lips which caused everyone to cheer loudly.

"Well done Lauren. That was brilliant. Now it's up to the rest of the club. Before we hear from the others, we'll vote between Rachel and Lauren. Hands up those who vote for Rachel." He counted the raised hands and then asked for those who voted for Lauren to raise their hands. He counted once again.

"Congratulations Lauren. You have the role."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so sorry that this chapter has taken this long to get here. I don't have an excuse so I hope you are still with me to read it. I will endeavour not to take so long with the next chapter. Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Please review if you've liked what you've read.**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Rachel politely clapped along with everyone else but she was bitterly disappointed. Finn gently took her hand and squeezed it, showing her his support. He was tempted not to sing his audition piece. He had only put his name on the list because he wanted to sing with her. He loved singing with Rachel; it always made him fell happy. He leant over to her and was about to tell her that when Rachel turned her head and pierced him with her eyes.

"Yes, you will sing. You are the male lead and you deserve it."

Finn sat back in his seat. It still freaked him out when she did that, as if she was reading his mind.

"Alright, now it's time for the boys to sing. Finn, you're up first."

Finn stood up and made his way to the piano. He leant over to Brad, telling him what song to play. Brad nodded and prepared himself. Finn smiled at Rachel as he started to sing.

_They say it's a man's world  
>Well, that cannot be denied<br>But what good's a man's world  
>Without a woman by his side<br>And so I will wait  
>Until that moment you decide<em>

_A king ain't a king_  
><em>without the power behind the throne<em>  
><em>a prince is a pauper. Babe,<em>  
><em>Without a chick to call his own<em>  
><em>So please, darling, choose me<em>  
><em>I don't wanna rule alone<em>  
><em>Tell me,<em>

_I'm your king_  
><em>And you're my queen<em>  
><em>That no one else<em>  
><em>Can come between<em>  
><em>It takes two, baby,<em>  
><em>It takes two<em>

_Don't you know  
>Lancelot had Guinevere<br>Mrs. Claus has Old St. Nick  
>Romeo had Juliet<br>And Liz, well, she has her Dick _

As he continued to sing, he walked over and held out his hand to Rachel. When she took hold, he led her back towards the piano where he took both of her hands in his and started to slowly dance the whole time singing to her.

_They say it takes two to tango_  
><em>Well, that tango's child's play<em>  
><em>So take me to the dance floor<em>  
><em>And we'll twist the night away<em>

_Tell me, you're my girl_  
><em>And I'm your boy<em>  
><em>That you're my pride<em>  
><em>And I'm your joy<em>  
><em>That I'm the sand<em>  
><em>And you're the tide<em>  
><em>I'll be the groom<em>  
><em>If you'll be my bride<em>  
><em>It takes two, baby,<em>  
><em>It takes two<em>

_It takes two, baby_  
><em>It takes two<em>

When he'd finished, he hugged her tightly and turned to look at the rest of the glee club with a goofy smile on his face. He didn't really care if he didn't win because it would only have been special if he was singing with Rachel.

"Thank you Finn. That was great but now it's Puck's turn. Are you ready?" Will asked as he turned to Puck who grinned and nodded his head quickly. He gave Lauren a quick kiss and whispered something in her ear to which she laughed and patted his cheek. When he reached his spot, he just looked over at Brad, who started to play. They had obviously discussed his song earlier.

_Hey little girl with the cash to burn  
>Well I'm selling something you won't return<br>Hey little girl take me off the shelf  
>Cause it's hard having fun playing with yourself<br>Once you browse through the whole selection  
>Shake those hips in my direction<em>

_Prettiest package you never did see_  
><em>Take me home and then unwrap me<em>  
><em>Shop around little darling<em>  
><em>I've got to be<em>  
><em>The ladies' choice<em>  
><em>Ladies' choice<em>  
><em>The ladies' choice<em>

Puck's eyes rarely left Lauren. It seemed like she was the only other person in the room.

_Hey little girl looking for a sale  
>Test drive this American male <em>

At these lyrics he thrusted his hips back and forth causing Lauren to laugh out loud while all Chrissy could do was stare at one of the hottest guys in the school, making love through song and dance to one of the bigger girls at the school.

_It's going to take cash to fill my tank  
>So let's crack open your piggy bank<br>Hey little girl going window shopping  
>I got something traffic stopping<em>

_Hey little girl on a spending spree_  
><em>I don't come cheap but the kisses come free<em>  
><em>On closer inspection I'm sure that you'll agree<em>  
><em>I'm the ladies' choice<em>  
><em>The ladies' choice<em>  
><em>The ladies' choice<em>

_Wow!_  
><em>Hey little girl on a spending spree<em>  
><em>I don't come cheap but the kisses come free<em>  
><em>On closer inspection I'm sure that you'll agree<em>

_Oh, hey little girl listen to my plea_  
><em>I come with a lifetime guarantee<em>  
><em>One day maybe we'll find a baby makes three<em>  
><em>It's the ladies' choice<em>  
><em>I'm the ladies' choice<em>  
><em>The ladies' choice<em>  
><em>I'm the ladies' choice, choice, choice<em>  
><em>I'm the ladies' choice...<em>

When he had finished, everyone clapped and cheered but no-one louder that Lauren, who enveloped Puck in a hug when he sat back down next to her.

"Time to vote again guys. Hands up for Finn." Schue counted the raised hands, he then asked for Puck. Once again, he counted. This time the vote was a lot closer.

"So, it's congratulations to Puck. He and Lauren are our Tracey and Link. We have one more sing off. That'll be for the role of Motor-Mouth Maybelle."

Mercedes put her hand up and asked him who she was auditioning against. Will told her that Jaimie Rush had come and sung for him yesterday and that would be who she was auditioning against. When Chrissy and Sienna heard Jaimie's name they looked at each other, their eyes wide but they each had huge smiles on their faces. Mercedes didn't look happy but she didn't say anything more. Will asked her to go first as Jaimie would not be here for a few more minutes. Mercedes shrugged her shoulders and stepped down to stand next to the piano. She waited until everyone had settled down before turning and smiling at Brad, letting him know that she was ready to start.

_There's a light  
>In the darkness<br>Though the night  
>Is black as my skin<br>There's a light  
>Burning bright<br>Showing me the way  
>But I know where I've been<em>

_There's a road_  
><em>We've been travelin'<em>  
><em>Lost so many on the way<em>  
><em>But the riches<em>  
><em>Will be plenty<em>  
><em>Worth the price<em>  
><em>The price we had to pay<em>

_There's a dream_  
><em>In the future<em>  
><em>There's a struggle<em>  
><em>That we have yet to win<em>  
><em>And there's pride<em>  
><em>In my heart<em>  
><em>'Cause I know<em>  
><em>Where I'm going<em>  
><em>Yes I do !<em>  
><em>And I know where I've been<em>  
><em>Yeah<em>

Tina, Santana and Brittney walked down and stood behind Mercedes and started to sing the backing vocals. Mercedes looked over her shoulder and smiled at her friends. She hadn't asked them to do this but it would add so much to the song.

_There's a road (There's a road)_  
><em>We must travel (We must travel)<em>  
><em>There's a promise (There is a promise)<em>  
><em>We must make (That we must make)<em>  
><em>But the riches (oh but the riches)<em>  
><em>Will be plenty (The riches will be plenty)<em>  
><em>Worth the risk (Worth the risk)<em>  
><em>And chances that we take (and the chances that we)<em>  
><em>There's a dream<em>  
><em>Yeah yey yeah<em>  
><em>In the future<em>

_There's a struggle_

_That we have yet to win_  
><em>Use that pride<em>  
><em>In our hearts<em>  
><em>To lift us up<em>  
><em>Until tomorrow<em>

_'Cause just to sit still_  
><em>Would be a sin<em>

Mercedes listened to the girls harmonizing the next few lines.

_I know it; I know it  
>I know where I'm going<em>

Before picking up the lyrics.

_Lord knows I know...  
>Where I've been<br>_

And then the four girls sang the final lines of the song.

_Oh! When we win,  
>I'll give thanks to my god<br>'Cause I know where I've been_

"Wow Mercedes. Once again you've blown us all away. However, we still have one more performance to go." He looked down at his watch, hoping that Jaimie wasn't to far away. It was at that moment that there was a knock at the door. He looked over and felt his jaw drop.

"I hope I'm not to late Mr Schuester?"

All Will could do was shake his head. He hadn't realized that Jaimie was going to dress up but now the audition piece made sense. He saw Jaimie wave at someone behind him. Turning his head back to the group, he saw Chrissy and Sienna waving and grinning madly. Sienna then gave Jaimie the thumbs up sign and Will just sighed.

"No Jaimie, you're just in time. Are you ready to start?"

When Jaimie nodded, Will took his seat and waited with the rest of the glee club as Jaimie spoke to Brad about the song. Standing at the mike, Jaimie waited for the music to begin and then started to sing.

_Bring on that pecan pie!  
>Pour some sugar<br>on it sugar  
>don't be shy.<em>

_Scoop me up_  
><em>a mess of that<em>  
><em>Chocolate swirl.<em>  
><em>Don't be stingy<em>  
><em>I'm a growing girl<em>

_I offer_  
><em>Big love<em>  
><em>with no apology.<em>  
><em>How can I deny the world<em>  
><em>the most of me?<em>

_I am not afraid to throw my weight around_  
><em>Pound by pound by pound<em>

_because I'm_  
><em>Big, blond &amp; beautiful<em>  
><em>Face the fact<em>  
><em>it's simply irrefutable!<em>  
><em>No one wants a meal<em>  
><em>that only offers the least<em>  
><em>when girl, we're serving up<em>  
><em>the whole damn feast<em>

_we need a man who_  
><em>Bring a man sized appetite!<em>

_I use a_  
><em>Pinch of sugar<em>  
><em>and a dash of spice!<em>  
><em>I'll let you lick the spoon<em>  
><em>because it tastes so nice!<em>

_We'll keep in the oven_  
><em>till it's good and hot<em>  
><em>keep on stirring<em>  
><em>till you hit the spot!<em>

_Because I'm_  
><em>Big, blond, &amp; beautiful<em>  
><em>There is nothing 'bout us<em>  
><em>that's unsuitable<em>

_They say that white has might_  
><em>And thin is in<em>  
><em>Well, that's just bull<em>  
><em>'Cause ladies big is back<em>  
><em>And as for black<em>  
><em>It's beautiful!<em>

_All shapes and sizes_  
><em>follow me!<em>  
><em>Who wants a twig<em>  
><em>when you can climb a whole tree?<em>

_Yeah, Yeah_  
><em>Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah<em>

_Groovy baby Groovy!_

"Wow Jaimie, that was brilliant. Well done, although I hadn't expected a full costume. What made you decide to do that song?"

"I just really love this character and I wanted to show you all that my gender shouldn't preclude me from being considered for the role."

At this, most of the group looked around at each other but Chrissy and Sienna hopped up and ran over to Jaimie and gave him a hug just as he was removing his blonde wig. Nearly all of the kids figured it out straight away from that moment, only Brittney and Finn needed to have it explained to them. Brittney more than Finn but she eventually understood. This then elicited another round of applause for how well he had fooled them all. Will let them all chat for a while before asking them to settle down as they had to vote. He instantly saw Mercedes stiffen. He knew how much she wanted this role.

"One more vote guys. Hands up for Jaimie." Quite a few hands went up. Will counted them and nodded.

"Alright, hands up for Mercedes." He smiled as he counted; she had the numbers but only just. "Congratulations Mercedes. We still need someone to step up for the role of Seaweed. Anyone interested?"

He was a little surprised to see Mike put up his hand.

"That's great Mike, but you do know that there is a solo for Seaweed in this song."

"Yes Mr Schue, but Tina has been helping me with my vocal training and I'm confident that I can pull it off."

"OK, that's good enough for me. Now, there will be extra lessons scheduled to get this performance down pat. But that's not to say that we won't be working on our sectionals list. It's gonna be a big couple of months so if you're not prepared to give 110%, you best leave now."

He stood there, holding his breath, hoping that no-one would leave. When no-one did, he silently let out his breath.

"Alright then, this week we're going to jump straight in. I'll make it easy. All I want is for you guys to sing me a song that I haven't heard you sing yet. You can sing anyway you want. Solos, trios, big groups, whatever you want. Just remember that I'm looking for leads for sectionals, so make sure I hear you at your best. That's it for today; I'll see you all tomorrow. We'll start practicing the song."

Everyone started to talk as they stood up. Discussing song choices and deciding whether to sing as a group or not. Chrissy, Sienna, Jaimie and Ciaran walked out of the room together.

"That was awesome man. You have an amazing range." Ciaran said slapping Jaimie on the back.

Chrissy introduced the two boys to each other, explaining to Ciaran that she and Sienna had gone to elementary school with Jaimie.

"I didn't know that you were coming to McKinley. I thought you and your mother had moved to Denver." Sienna said to Jaimie.

"We did, but we moved back a couple of weeks ago when my gran got sick. Mum was lucky enough to get a transfer so it looks like we're back for good. At least for now."

"It's gonna be great being together again. We should definitely sing our song together. The new kids in the club. What do you say?" Chrissy asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Replied Jaimie. "What about you Ciaran? Do you want to sing with us?"

"Sure, I think it'll be fun. We've just got to pick a song. It'll be easier for us. Other than our audition songs, Mr Schuester hasn't heard us sing. So any song will be new."

"I love your voice. I could listen to you all day." Jaimie said, looking at Ciaran.

"Easy Jai, he doesn't play on your team. You'll scare him off."

Ciaran just laughed and threw his arm over Jaimie's shoulder.

"I'll read to your whenever you want, but that's all. OK?"

Jaimie nodded and they all laughed as they made their way out the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello there, well here is the next chapter. It's a bit shorter than the others. I hope to have the next chapter up within the next 24 hours. Well, that's my plan anyway. I hope you enjoy it. Please review it so I know if I'm on the right track.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Ciaran spent the rest of the afternoon with the three friends. They joked with each other, often finishing each others sentences. At times, he felt left out, not knowing the joke that they'd just shared but then one of them would look at him and smile, including him in their conversation. Before he realised it, it was time to go home. Pushing back from the table he said goodbye to his friends and proceeded to walk home. He was only a couple of blocks from home when he quite literally bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he reached out a hand to steady the other person. When he looked down, he encountered a pair of the bluest eyes that he'd ever seen.

"That's ok, it's my fault really. I was rushing and not watching where I was going." The girl replied, pushing her glasses up.

"Let me help you." Ciaran said as he bent down to help her pick up her things. "My name is Ciaran by the way."

"My name is Tiffany; it's nice to meet you Ciaran. I've not seen you around here before. Have you just moved here?"

"I'm staying with my cousin for a few months. She lives just a few blocks from here. What about you? Do you live around here?"

"Um, no, I was just visiting a friend. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll bump into each other again."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Ciaran replied as he watched Tiffany walk away. "I'd like that very much."

He watched her until she turned the corner. He knew that he shouldn't get interested in anyone, but damn she was attractive. He'd have to find out who she was. He hoped that she too was a student at McKinley; he'd asked the guys in glee club. See if anyone knew who she was.

When he got home, he let himself in the front door and made his way into the lounge room where he pulled up short when he saw that the room wasn't empty. Finn and Rachel were sitting on the couch, kissing. He had intended to just back away but he must have made some noise because the couple on the couch jumped apart and quickly looked over at him.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"That's fine dude. It's about time for me to leave anyway. Mum will be expecting me for dinner." Finn said as he stood up. He leant down to give Rachel a brief kiss before telling her that he'd pick her up for school in the morning. He then turned to Ciaran.

"Ciaran, the other guys and I were just wondering if you and the new guys would sing with us. We thought we'd do a big group number with all the boys. Would you be interested?"

"Hang on Finn." Rachel interrupted. "I thought that you and I were going to do a duet together."

Finn looked panicked for a moment but he managed to calm her down by explaining that this way the new members would feel part of the club much quicker. He also suggested that the girls do it as well. Rachel thought about it for a moment before she nodded her head. She gave him a quick kiss before she took out her phone to call Mercedes. Finn gave a sigh of relief and turned back to an amused Ciaran.

"So Ciaran, what do you say?"

"Well, the guys and I were going to sing together but I'll talk to them tomorrow. It sounds like a good idea. Boys versus girls, a bit competitive though isn't it? Are you sure that Mr Schuester will agree to it?"

"Oh yeah, we do it every year. Usually it's a bit later in the year but he'll think it's great."

"I'll let you know at practice tomorrow. Before you go, I was wondering if you know a girl called Tiffany. I think she goes to McKinley, she's probably a junior or maybe even a senior."

"Name doesn't ring a bell. What does she look like?"

"She just a bit shorter than me, has long blonde hair and the bluest of blue eyes."

Finn looked at him with a knowing smile, while he tried to place the girl that Ciaran had described.

"Nope, sorry dude. There are plenty of pretty blue eyed blondes at McKinley but the name still doesn't familiar. So, where did you meet her?"

"I literally bumped into her on the way home." He replied as he walked with Finn to the front door.

"Oh well, good luck with that. I'll see you tomorrow. Did you want a lift to school in the morning?"

"Sure, that'd be great. I'll see you then."

When Finn left, Ciaran headed back to the lounge room to ring his dad. They talked for an hour, about Ciaran's day, about how Rupert's job hunt was going. He'd had a couple of interviews so far and he was just waiting to hear back from them. He thought a few were promising. When they said their goodbyes, Rupert told him that he was about to ring his mother and then he would have her ring him. Ciaran told his dad that he loved him and then hung up the phone just as Rachel walked into the room and sat down next to him. They talked quietly until dinner was called.

Mercedes rang the rest of the girls in glee, well the existing girls, after she'd hung up from Rachel. She conference called them all so she wouldn't have to repeat the conversation. When everyone was on the phone, she told them about the conversation she'd just had with Rachel. Once they found out that the boys intended to sing as a group, they all agreed to sing together.

"What about the new ones? Has anyone asked them?" Santana asked.

"Rachel's gonna speak to them tomorrow, then we have to decide on a song. So think on that and we'll discuss it tomorrow."

Finn let himself into the house and called out a hello as he headed to his room. When he passed the lounge room, he looked in and saw Kurt and Blaine watching TV. Kurt was practically sitting in Blaine's lap and Finn suspected that they had been making out and had only stopped when he had called out. He just nodded his head at them both and kept walking to his room. He was used to catching those two out. At first it had freaked him out a little. Knowing that his brother was gay was one thing, seeing him kissing another guy took a bit to get used to. Now, it wasn't any different to seeing any other couple kissing.

"Do you think he realised what we were doing?" Blaine asked nervously.

"No, and to be honest, I don't really care. We are a couple and we're in the privacy of my home. So it's no-one else's business what we do."

Blaine looked at his boyfriend and smiled. Kurt had come so far since they'd first met. He didn't let anyone push him around, not even his brother. Blaine took Kurt's face in his hands and kissed him soundly. Kurt responded quickly. They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear Carol walk into the room. It was only when she cleared her throat that they separated. Blaine blushed but Kurt just laughed and smiled up at Carol.

"Blaine dear, are you staying for dinner?"

"No thanks Mrs H. Actually I should be going, mum will be wondering where I am. See you tomorrow Kurt." He gave Kurt another quick kiss before saying goodbye to Carol and heading home. Kurt then followed Carol into the kitchen to help set the table after he'd watched his hands.

Will could hear the kids when he turned the corner. Thankfully they weren't fighting, they were singing. It didn't sound like just one song either. When he reached the doorway he stopped and watched the kids. They had broken off into two groups. On one side of the room were the girls and the boys were on the other side.

"OK, what's going on here?" He asked as he walked into the room.

Immediately Rachel jumped up from her seat and walked towards him. He could see Santana roll her eyes but he returned his attention to Rachel and waited for her to talk.

"We have decided to do group numbers for this week's homework. Boys against the girls."

"OK, well as long as everyone agrees, I think that that is a great plan. However, to start with today, we'll work on our performance piece for the first half of the lesson and then you can split into your groups to discuss and work on your songs."

Everyone settled down and then Will handed out the lyric sheets. For the next thirty minutes, everyone laughed and sang. Will kept it all under control with his calm authority. When they'd finished with the song, Will watched as the kids separated into their groups. This was the first time he didn't' have to tell Kurt to be in the boys group. He watched them for a while longer and then went over to talk to Brad about the arrangement for their performance piece.

As the lesson came to an end, Chrissy walked away from the girls to grab her bag. When she leant down under the chair she'd been sitting on earlier, she overheard some of the guys talking. She hadn't intended to listen but she couldn't help it. Finn was sitting right in front of her.

"So, it seems that someone has caught Ciaran's eye. He was asking about her yesterday."

"Who's he interested in?" Puck asked. "I might be able to hook him up with her."

"He's already spoken to her. He met her on the way home yesterday. Her name is Tiffany. Apparently she has blonde hair and the bluest of blue eyes. Well, that was how he described her."

Puck chuckled softly and said that that description could be half a dozen girls at the school but he also didn't recognise the name Tiffany.

Chrissy stood up and looked over to where Ciaran was watching Mike Chang go through some basic dance steps. She saw him laugh and shake his head. She smiled at the scene, knowing how bad Ciaran was at dancing. He chose that moment to look up and he caught her eye. A smile lit his face and he waved at her. Chrissy raised her hand slightly before turning away. She should have know, hell, she did know. He thought of her as a friend. She'd been the one to blow things out of proportion. She would have to try to sort herself out so she didn't' make an idiot of herself around him. She'd just sat down next to Sienna when Mr Schue turned to face them.

"That's it for today, it's time to go. I'll see you all tomorrow, however, there won't be a glee rehearsal as such. I'll be going over the choreography with Mike and Brittney. I'll leave it up to you guys to work on your homework assignments. Now go."

Everyone stood up and left the room. Chrissy grabbed Sienna by the hand and pulled her out of the room. Sienna looked sideways at her friend and she could see that Chrissy looked upset so she didn't say anything. However, it didn't mean she couldn't talk about herself.

"I'm in love." She declared, causing Chrissy to stop walking, which in turn caused Jaimie to bump into her. Sienna had kept walking but she soon realised that her friend wasn't beside her, she stopped and turned around. "What?"

"What did you just say?" Chrissy asked.

"I said that I'm in love."

"Do we know who this person is that you've fallen for?" Jaimie asked

"Of course you do, you both do. I've been in lust with them for a year but now, well, it's so much more than that."

Chrissy smiled at her friend. "But how do you know that….well you know."

"Trust me, I know. Santana is gay and I'm in love with her."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello, I am sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up. For those who are still reading I apologise. There were many factors but I'm hoping not to be so long between chapters from now.**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Over the next few days, Chrissy tried to avoid Ciaran without looking like she was trying to avoid him. The couple of times that she couldn't avoid him, she kept the conversation short. She saw that he looked hurt and confused and she almost gave in but she knew that in the long run this is what she needed to do while she tried to get over her feelings for him. Once she'd done that, she wouldn't hurt every time she was around him. She'd managed quite well actually. At lunch she always made sure that she was sitting between Jaimie and Sienna, while at glee rehearsal they were practicing for their group performances for half of the lesson and then learning the choreography for the Hairspray number. After school, she would make up excuses not to join the group for coffee and then she would go home alone, sad but determined.

"OK girl, what the hell is going on with you?" Sienna asked as they left the choir room on Friday afternoon.

"Nothing." Chrissy replied, not looking directly at her friend.

Sienna grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the side of the hallway. "Do not lie to me Chrissy Hallett. We've been friends for too long. I know that there is something going on and it concerns Ciaran. You've been avoiding him. Why? What has he done? If he's said anything to you, I'll…."

"Whoa Si, it's nothing like that. It's all me, I swear. I'm just putting a bit of distance between us until I get over him. Was I really that obvious?"

"Well no. I don't think anyone else really noticed but I'm your best friend. Hang on a minute. Why are you trying to get over him? He's sweat; I think you two would be great together."

"Thanks Si, but it's never gonna happen. He likes someone else anyway." Chrissy said and then walked away causing Sienna to follow her down the hallway proclaiming that they would have to have a sleep over that night where they would watch chick flicks and rubbish the opposite sex for the whole night. Chrissy laughed and said that she'd like that.

"Hey Jaimie, you got a minute?"

"Sure Ciaran, what's up?"

"Do you know what I've done to annoy Chrissy?" He asked as he watched Chrissy and Sienna talking, a little bit further down the hall.

"Ah, so you noticed that did you?"

"Bit hard not to. I've been going over everything and I can't seem to pinpoint anything. I thought she might have said something to you."

"My girl's not said a thing to me."

"So what the hell do I do? Apologise for something that I have no idea about or what?"

"I recommend that you wait it out. Give her some space and I'm sure in a couple of days it'll all be fine." Jaimie said before walking down the hall to join the girls, just in time to hear them talk about the sleepover.

"Oh, can I come? We haven't had a 'Terrific Trio' sleepover for ages. I'll bring the ice-cream."

Both girls nodded and laughed. They arranged to meet at Chrissy's house in an hour.

"Are you sure your folks won't mind?"

"Nah, they're going to watch Kevin's game so they won't be home till late Sunday afternoon."

"Then let's invite a few more people over and have some fun." Sienna said as she watched Santana walk past.

"You are so transparent Sienna. And no, I'm not having a party while my folks are away."

Suddenly a voice spoke from behind them.

"Cool, a party with no parentals. Hey everyone, party at Chrissy's place tonight."

"Puck, no! That's not what I said." Chrissy immediately replied before looking at Sienna for some help but all Sienna did was stare at her with pleading eyes. Even Jaimie was no help, he just shrugged his shoulders. Looking around she saw that the rest of the glee club were looking at her expectantly and she knew what she was going to say.

"What he hell. Why not. I'll give you my address but can I please ask one thing from each of you?"

They all looked at her silently, most of them nodding.

"I would really prefer if no-one drank any alcohol. I know it's a lot to ask but I have my reasons. My sister Kari was killed by a drunk driver a couple of years ago." She finished softly, causing Sienna to put one of her arms around her friend's shoulder. She knew the pain that Chrissy and her family had gone through when Kari had died.

Rachel walked up to them and stood before Chrissy for a second before she wrapped her arms around her for a brief hug before stepping back.

"Of course we can do that." She said, looking at everyone else, who were all nodding. Even Puck nodded after Lauren poked him in the ribs, although he didn't look to happy about it. Chrissy smiled at them all and thanked them for being so understanding. She then gave her address to everyone. Quinn told her not to worry about a thing; everyone would bring their own drinks and also a plate of food.

"It's only fair, considering that this party was forced on you."

Kurt, who was standing at her shoulder, nodded his agreement.

"Also, the group had a bad party experience last year and I don't think that too many of us want to repeat it." He said as he looked around the group.

Chrissy was touched by the groups' immediate understanding and she thanked them all. They decided on a time and them they all left. Just as she turned to leave, Chrissy caught Ciaran watching her and she started to panic. How would she manage to avoid him tonight? Maybe she should just learn to live with it. She was punishing him, simply because he didn't feel the same way about her as she did him. And to be honest, she was punishing herself as well. Even though she'd only known him for two weeks, she had missed him. He was funny and sweet. So she looked back at him and smiled. She told him that she'd see him tonight. He smiled broadly and told her that he was looking forward to it. Chrissy then watched him jog over to Finn and Rachel.

"So, I guess we'd better make sure that your house is clean. We'll swing by my place so I can grab a change of clothes and let mum know where I'll be. Then we can go to yours."

Chrissy agreed with Sienna and then asked Jaimie if he too wanted to come over early. He said that he would but he too had to go home first. He told them that he'd be over in about an hour. The girls said goodbye to him and they headed off to Sienna's house. Chrissy was still a little apprehensive about the party. She'd really only known most of these people for two weeks. Could she trust their words? She hoped so, she would hate for anything to happen tonight. She didn't want to disappoint her parents. She had a great relationship with them and she tended to tell them everything. She even considered telling them about the party. She thought that they would be ok with it as long as there was no alcohol but ultimately decided against it. Chrissy sighed and just hoped again that the rest of the group could be trusted. Sienna heard her sigh and told her that everything would be fine as she squeezed her hand.

"Come on, you have to help me pick out a knock-out outfit for tonight. I'm gonna rock Santana's world." Sienna said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Laughing at her friend, Chrissy just rolled her eyes and followed her friend into the house, saying hello to Mrs Cartoni as they passed the kitchen. Sienna called out that she was going to Chrissy's for the night. As the girls had been doing this for years, she just nodded her head and told her daughter to be home by dinner the next night as they were having guests over. Sienna mumbled, knowing who was coming and not looking forward to it. Twenty minutes later they left the house. Sienna carrying a bag of food while Chrissy carried her clothing bag. She was starting to get excited about tonight but she still had a few little doubts rattling around but she pushed the down and smiled at her friend. When they reached Chrissy's house, they went looking for her mum, they found her sitting in the kitchen.

"Hi mum."

"Hi sweetie, how was your day? Hi Sienna, how are you?"

"I'm good thanks Mumma H."

Sarah Hallett gave Sienna a hug. She was like another daughter to her. She listened as the girls told her about their day.

"So, what have you got planned for tonight? I'm assuming that you are staying here Si."

Chrissy looked at her mum, then at Sienna before looking back at her mum. She really didn't know what to tell her mum.

"Um, Jaimie is coming over as well. Is that ok?"

"Of course it is. Just be careful and I'll ring you later. Dad should be home soon and then we'll have to head off."

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Jonah Hallett walked into the kitchen. He was a tall man who immediately wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her soundly before looking over at the two girls.

"Hello girls, how are you?"

"We're fine thanks dad. How are you?"

"Feelin' dandy sunshine." He replied, smiling at Chrissy and tapping her nose gently before looking back at his wife. "So Sarah, you ready to go?"

Sarah nodded and pointed to the two bags that were next to the door. Jonah smiled, gave both Chrissy and Sienna a kiss on the top of their heads, grabbed the bags and headed out to the car. Sarah followed, reminding Chrissy to be careful and that she'd call the later.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, here is the next chapter. I have one more already written which I hope to have up tomorrow. I hope you are enjoying the story, if you are still hanging in there with me. I'd love to hear what you think of my story, so feel free to review.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Two hours later, Chrissy was still worrying about not having told her parents about the party. However, when the door bell rang, she went to answer it and let her first guests in. Puck, Lauren, Quinn and Mercedes smiled at her as they walked in. Each of the girls was carrying a plate of food while Puck was carrying many bottles of soft drink. Quinn asked her where the kitchen was and Chrissy smiled as she pointed her in the right direction. She had just started to walk away from the door when there was another knock. This continued for the next ten minutes.

"We're late Finn, come on." Rachel said as she got out of the car.

"We're not the only ones. Look." He said, pointing to the car in front of them. Brittney was standing on the footpath talking to Artie through the window while another boy was pulling out his wheelchair. As Ciaran came to stand beside them, Finn heard him gasp and he turned to look at him. "Dude, what's wrong?"

"That's her." Ciaran replied softly.

"Her who?" Finn asked, looking confused.

"The girl, Tiffany. She's sitting in the front seat of that car."

"Her name isn't Tiffany, its CeCe. She's Brittney's sister." Rachel said as she walked away from the two boys, heading over to Brittney. "Hi Brit, Artie. You're looking great."

"Hi Rachel, thanks. Artie and I are going to a party."

"I know so are we." Rachel replied gently as she looked at CeCe. "How are you CeCe? How's college?"

"Hi Rachel, I'm going well thanks. I'm in my last semester at college."

"That's great. Hey, it's the weirdest thing CeCe, my cousin Ciaran met you a little while ago and he seems to think that your name is Tiffany."

"Well that's how I introduce myself these days. I never really liked my first name so when I started college, I started to go by my middle name."

"That explains it then. So, is the good looking guy with you?" 

"Yeah, he's my fiancé, his name is Reid. Reid honey, say hello to Rachel. She's a friend of Brit's and her boyfriend Finn as well as her cousin Ciaran. Nice to see you again Ciaran."

All Ciaran could do was nod as Reid greeted everyone. Of course she was taken, but then seeing her again, he realised that it was a fleeting attraction, nothing more. He smiled at her and then headed for the house. Before he could knock, the door opened and Santana pushed passed him and jogged down the path. When she reached the car, she leant in and gave Tiffany a hug. He shook his head and walked inside. The music was pumping and the others were singing and dancing. There was lots of laughter as he looked around the room, trying to find Chrissy or Sienna. He wanted to let them know that he was here. He was hoping that things between him and Chrissy would be back to normal. He soon found the girls; they were standing in the kitchen with Kurt and Blaine. He laughed silently as he listened to Kurt telling the girls how long to heat up the food that he'd brought. Chrissy just smiled at him and nodded.

"You know what? I should probably do it myself."

"Kurt, the girls can do it." Blaine said.

"It's ok Blaine. Kurt can do it." Chrissy said laughingly as she and Sienna turned to leave. When she saw Ciaran standing in the doorway, Chrissy stopped moving and stared at him. He looked so handsome, just leaning on the doorframe with a soft smile playing across his lips and laughter twinkling in his eyes.

Ciaran watched as Chrissy laughed at the others but as soon as she saw him, the laughter died, so clearly whatever was wrong was still wrong. But he'd be damned if he knew what that was. He was just about to leave, not only the room but the party when Chrissy smiled and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and thanked him for coming. When she stepped back, she was smiling, which eased his mind. Hopefully whatever was bothering her had been sorted out, he was glad. He'd missed her.

For the next few hours, everyone was having a great time and Chrissy was pleased to see that no-one had brought any alcohol. When the Wii was set up it brought out the competition between the boys and some of the girls. The funniest moment was when Finn and Ciaran went up against each other on 'Just Dance 3'. Everyone was laughing so hard as they all watched the two most awkward dancers of the group try to outdo each other. At the end of the song, both Ciaran and Finn were laughing just as hard as the rest of them.

Karofsky stood on the footpath and listened to the laughter coming from inside the house. He could see through one of the windows, could see Kurt to be precise. He stared at him, devouring him with his eyes. It wasn't until Blaine walked up to him and took his hand while giving him a quick kiss that Karofsky cursed and turned away, walking back to the car. Azimio looked up as he leant on the car.

"So, are we gonna have a little fun?" He asked, looking up at his friend.

"Yeah, let's go." Karofsky replied as he pushed away from the car, grabbing a bag from one of the guys in the back seat. Azimio and the other jocks joined him, all looking at the house. When Azimio nodded, they all proceeded to throw eggs at the windows, laughing loudly.

"What the hell?" Puck looked out of the window nearest him just as a couple of eggs smashed against it. "It's Azimio, Karofsky and the other morons from the football team."

Everyone ran outside to confront the idiots on the lawn.

"What the hell Karofsky? I thought we were done with all of this crap." Finn called out.

"Yeah, well you thought wrong." Dave replied, looking over at Kurt and Blaine, sneering at their joined hands. Kurt tightened his grip as he gaped at Dave. Clearly, he hadn't sorted out his issues. Just then, Jaimie brushed passed them and headed straight for a surprised Azimio.

"Are you ever going to grow up Royce?" Jaimie asked.

Azimio looked around nervously. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? It's your name after all. Mum named you after grandpa, Royce Azimio Rush."

"Shut up freak. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you and mum were in Denver."

"We've been home for a few months. Gran is sick. I thought dad might have told you. She'd really like to see you, as would mum."

"I don't know, dad…" he let the sentence trail off but Jaimie immediately spoke.

"Ah yes, how is dear old dad? Still a homophobic bigot?"

"Don't say that."

"What not? It's the truth after all. He finally threw me out after he realised that he couldn't beat the gay out of me. It's a good thing that mum has a beautiful heart and she stood by me. Moving to Denver was good for her as well. As soon as she got away from him she started to look better. He would have killed her eventually. His is a mean bastard and you seem to be heading in the same direction. Just leave Royce."

Just as Jaimie finished talking to Azimio, Chrissy marched straight up to Karofsky, grabbed his forearm and started to yell at him.

"Why don't you just leave us alone? What the hell have we ever done to you?"

Karofsky looked at her, slightly stunned, then down at her hand on his arm. He lifted his arm and tried to shake her hand off but she just gripped tighter so he gently pushed her away from him with his other hand. What he hadn't counted on was that she would step back onto some loose rocks and stumble, falling to the ground. Before he could react, the glee kids had run towards her.

"Chrissy!" Ciaran and Sienna cried out simultaneously as they led the group towards their friend. Ciaran reached her first and he knelt by her and took her hand in his, while he gently brushed her hair off her face and watched as she blinked a couple of times before turning her eyes towards him.

"Hi." He whispered, giving her a small smile.

"Hi." She replied.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, what happened though?"

"You fell, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sure; can you help me up please? I feel foolish just lying here."

Ciaran quickly stood up, gently taking her hands to help her up. When he'd seen her fall, his heart had leapt and he held his breath. Everything had happened so slowly, or so it seemed to him. He'd tried to reach her before she hit the ground but he couldn't seem to move quickly enough. When she was standing, supported by Sienna, he turned to the thug who had pushed her, his anger rising.

"What the hell man! You could have seriously hurt her. Do you not think?"

He started to walk over to him but he immediately felt hands on his shoulders holding him back. Turning his head he saw Rick and Mike behind him as Puck and Finn walked passed him towards Karofsky.

"That's it dude! Throwing slushies at the glee club and going after us guys is one thing but you should never touch our girls. Come near any of them again and it won't end well. Now get the hell away from here."

Karofsky looked at Puck and knew that he was serious. They wouldn't take any crap this year. He quickly glanced over at Kurt and Blaine, who were once again holding hands and sighed before turning to the other jocks and telling them that it was time to go. When he reached the car he realised that Azimio wasn't there.

"Yo Azimio, let's bail." He shouted, watching as Azimio turned from the boy he'd been talking to and walked back to the car.

Ciaran shrugged free from Rick and Mike and headed back to Chrissy. He wanted to make sure that she really was alright. He'd seen that Sienna had taken her into the house so he went inside to find them. He found them in the kitchen. Chrissy was sitting at the table while the rest of the girls were fussing over her.

"Seriously, I'm fine. You can all stop fussing. Please."

"Damn Karofsky." Santana mumbled, looking murderous.

"You can never be too careful." Quinn said. "You could have a concussion."

"Yeah, did you bump your head?" Tina asked. "Did you black out at all?"

Chrissy looked around at the girls and then looked back at Tina.

"Yes and no. I have a lump on my head but I didn't lose consciousness. However, I think that the party is over. I'm sorry everyone."

"You don't have to apologise for anything. We'll clean up inside and the guys can clean up outside." Rachel said with a smile. "It won't take us long."

With that, all the girls headed out of the kitchen and Ciaran entered. When the girls had left, Chrissy had raised a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Ciaran gently took her other hand in his, causing her to jump a little in fright. He apologised immediately and went to release her hand but she held it tightly, looking him straight in the eye.

"How's the head Chrissy? Are you feeling sick?" He asked her gently as he absently rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

Chrissy didn't answer straight away as she was mesmerised by the touch of his hand and the gentle sound of his voice. It was only when he spoke her name a couple more times that she took her eyes off their joined hands and raised them to meet his.

"It's only a headache, I promise."

"What about the lump on your head?"

Chrissy raised her hand subconsciously to the lump and touch it gingerly. "Well I suppose that explains the headache." She said wryly.

Ciaran chuckled softly at her response as he leant down and softly kissed the top of her head. When he pulled away, he gently cupped her cheek.

"You are amazing Chrissy. Don't ever forget that." He said before releasing her cheek. As he left the kitchen to help with the clean up, he realised that he truly meant everything he'd said to her and that when she'd been hurt, he could no longer deny to himself that he had grown to care for her very deeply. Despite telling himself that he wouldn't get involved, that he wouldn't be here long enough, his heart clearly hadn't been listening. When he hadn't been looking, he'd fallen for his friend. Now he had to figure out what to do with his feelings.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So here is the next chapter, obviously. I swear I had written this chapter before I knew that they were going to use this song in ep. 12. So I hope you like it and I'm currently writing up C9, fingers crossed that I get it up soon. I won't set a time but I hope soon.**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Over the next week, every time that Chrissy looked up, a glee member was next to her or not too far away. It seemed like she was never alone. When she was in class, Ciaran was always beside her, when she was at lunch, either Sienna or Ciaran was with her. As much as she loved everyone for looking out for her, she was starting to feel smothered. She would have to talk to them all at glee club this afternoon. Smiling at Sienna, she sat down to eat her lunch, laughing along with a joke that Sienna had just told. Turning her head, she saw that Ciaran was smiling at the both. Out of all the people looking out for her, Ciaran had been the most attentive, so instead of getting over her feeling for him, they had only grown stronger and deeper.

After the last lesson of the day, Chrissy and Ciaran, who were the last to leave the classroom, headed out of the room with Chrissy leading the way, and walked straight into David Karofsky who was walking past the room. Chrissy immediately began to apologise as she raised her head. When she saw who it was, she instinctively stepped back, bumping into Ciaran.

"Hey, what's wrong Chrissy? Why'd you stop?" He asked, his eyes focused on his friend. But when he saw her pale face and widened eyes he turned his head to see what she was looking at. He then quickly stepped in front of her, pushing her into the room as he glared at Karofsky.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Calm down Irish, she bumped into me. But while you're here." He continued, looking past Ciaran at Chrissy, "I wanted to apologise for last week. I didn't mean for you to fall and I'm sorry."

Chrissy looked back at him and she nodded but did not speak. Ciaran put his arm around her and glared at Karofsky.

"OK, you've apologised, now leave her alone."

Dave looked at them both before heading off down the hall. Ciaran watched him until he turned the corner and then he looked down at Chrissy, gently squeezing her shoulder as he pulled her a little closer, asking if she was alright. When she nodded again, Ciaran smiled at her.

"Well then, I guess we'd better get to glee. Don't forget its performance day. It's time to show you what I've got." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Chrissy laughed out loud at this and she instantly started to feel better. She'd never been truly worried that Karofsky would hurt her again but literally bumping into him had given her a fright. The upside of the entire incident was having Ciaran's arm around her and being able to lean into him. It was going to hurt so much when he left in a few months time but she would deal with that particular heartbreak when it actually happened. When they reached the choir room everyone else was already seated. Ciaran apologised to Mr Schuester for being late. Will smiled and told them to take their seats.

"It's time for your performances. Now, seeing as you are doing two group numbers and we've been practicing our Hairspray routine, I've given you a little bit longer to get ready but now the day has arrived. Who is going first?"

Rachel's hand immediately shot up and Will just smiled, not expecting anything else.

"OK girls; show us what you've got." Will said as he took a seat on the risers alongside the boys and watched as the girls took their places. When they were ready, the music started and Rachel started to sing.

_Now, there was a time  
>when they used to say<br>that behind ev'ry great man,  
>there had to be a great woman.<br>But oh, in these times of change,  
>you know that it's no longer true.<br>So we're comin' out of the kitchen,  
>'cause there's something we forgot to say to you.<em>

All the girls sang the chorus.

_We say, Sisters are doin' it for themselves,  
>standin' on their own two feet<br>and ringin' on their own bells._

_We say, Sisters are doin' it  
>for themselves.<em>

Then Chrissy picked up the next verse.

_Now, this is a song to celebrate  
>the conscious liberation of the female state.<br>Mothers, daughters,  
>and their daughters too, woh yeah,<br>woman to woman,  
>we're singing with you, ooh, ooh.<br>The "inferior sex" has got a new exterior.  
>We got doctors, lawyers, politicians too,<br>ooh ooh ooh, ooh.  
>Ev'rybody, take a look around.<br>Can you see, can you see, can you see,  
>there's a woman right next to youou.<em>

Again all of the girls joined in for the chorus.

_We say, Sisters are doin' it for themselves,  
>standin' on their own two feet<br>and ringin' on their own bells.  
>Sisters are doin' it<br>for themselves._

Sienna started the next verse.

_Now we ain't makin' stories,  
>and we ain't layin' plans.<br>Don't you know that a man still loves a woman,  
>and a woman still loves a man<br>just the same, though.  
>Ooh ooh ooh<br>ooh ooh ooh ooh.  
>Sisters are doin' it<br>for themselves._

Then the girls sang the rest of the song together.

_There was a time,  
>oh, when they used to say<br>that behind ev'ry great man,  
>there had to be a great woman.<br>In these times of change,  
>you know that it's no longer true.<br>So we're comin' out of the kitchen,  
>'cause there's something we forgot to say to you.<em>

_We say, Sisters are doin' it for themselves,  
>standin' on their own two feet<br>and ringin' on their own bells.  
>Sisters are doin' it<br>for themselves.  
>Sisters are doin' it<br>for themselves.  
>Sisters are doin' it, doin' it,<br>doin' it, doin' it, doin' it, doin' it…  
>Sisters are doin' it for themselves,<br>uhhuh, uhhuh, yeah.  
>Sisters are doin' it for themselves,<br>uhhuh, uhhuh, uhhuh, yeah.  
>Sisters are doin' it<br>for themselves.  
>I say, yeah, yeah,<br>Sisters are doin' it for themselves,  
>standin' on their…<br>Sisters are doin' it  
>for themselves.<em>

When they finished, Will and the boys stood up and cheered as the girls hugged each other, laughing. Will walked down towards them as he continued to clap.

"Well done girls and congratulations Sienna and Chrissy. You have found your place amongst the rest of the girls and they clearly feel that you are strong enough to take some leads. Again, well done, now take a seat and we'll see what the boys have for us." He said as he took his seat once again.

The boys were joking around and pushing each other as they got into their positions. Kurt did no look happy and this worried Will a little bit. He could only hope that the boys had taken this assignment seriously. He need to see how the hew guys worked with the others. When the music started, he just shook his head and moaned softly. The boys' smirks grew larger as the girls cheered and clapped. Finn was the first to step forward.

_Yeah, yes_

_When I walk on by, girls be looking like "Damn, he fly!"  
>I pimp to the beat, walking on the street in my new Lafreak, yeah<em>

Ciaran stepped forward when Finn stepped back.

_This is how I roll, animal print, pants out of control,  
>It's Red Foo with the big afro<br>In like Bruce Lee, well I got the claw, yo!_

As Puck and Mike lifted their shirts and showed off their abs the rest of the boys sang.

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

To which Puck and Mike sang.

_I work out_

So the boys continued with the chorus.

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

And Puck and Mike responded again.

_I work out_

Kurt reluctantly took centre stage.

_When I walk in the spot, this is what I see_

Quickly followed by Artie.

_Everybody stops and staring at me  
>I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it<em>

Once again, all the boys sang.

_I'm sexy and I know it_

_I'm sexy and I know it_

Rick picked up the next line, but he did look uncomfortable.

_When I'm at the mall, security just can't fight them off_  
><em>When I'm at the beach, I'm in a Speedo trying to tan my cheeks - what?<em>

Alex stepped forward smiling.

_This is how I roll, come on ladies it's time to go  
>We headed to the bar, baby don't be nervous<br>No shoes, no shirt, and I still get serviced - watch!_

The chorus was sung the same way as before, with Mike and Puck showing off their abs much to the girls' approval, which they were very vocal about.

_Gir__l look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_I work out_

_Girl look at that body _

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_I work out_

Puck swaggered forward to sing his lines with a huge smirk on his face.

_When I walk in the spot, this is what I see  
>Everybody stops and staring at me<br>I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it_

Then all the boys sang again.

_I'm sexy and I know it_

_I'm sexy and I know it_

_Check it out, check it out_

Then Blaine played it up for the next part.

_Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah..._

_Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah..._

_Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah..._

_Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah..._

_Do the wiggle yeah, do the wiggle yeah_

_I'm sexy and I know it_

The boys formed a straight line as they sang the next few lines.

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_I work out_

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_Girl look at that body_

_I work out_

And then Mike stepped forward for the final line.

_IM SEXY AND I KNOW IT!_

Will sat there for a moment when they finished, letting the cheering and catcalls from the girls just wash over him. They had done what he'd asked but it was definitely not a song that he would have picked. The girls were walking over to the boys, laughing and congratulating them on a great performance as they threw their arms around them. The whole group seemed to be talking at once but the general tone was of fun.

"Very good guys, you seem to have given everyone a chance to sing within that unconventional song. Well done. Take a seat everyone."

Will waited until everyone was seated and had calmed down before he tried to speak again.

"OK guys, settle down now. That was really good. It showed me how you work together vocally. Now, we will spend the next two weeks polishing our Hairspray number. We will have rehearsal every afternoon. Three dance rehearsals and two vocal ones. For now we will still meet here and then for the dance rehearsals we will move to the auditorium or the gym. But you know what? After those great performances I say that you've earned an early mark. Go home and have a great weekend."

Will smiled as he watched the kids leave. As sad as it was knowing that most of his kids would be leaving, he had found some great new ones and they were just as talented. Glee club would survive but he wouldn't if he didn't get home for dinner. Emma did like to keep to her schedules. As he left the building, he saw the kids all walking to their cars, they were yelling out to each other, throwing insults and laughing. Just being typical teenagers.

Mercedes was laughing at something that Kurt had said when her phone started to ring.

"You've got Mercedes. Talk to me."

"Hi baby, it's me."

"Hi honey, how are you?"

"I'm doing great. Dad got a new job, he's going to be construction foreman for the company that's building the new mall in Westerville. I've convinced mum and dad to move back to Lima, so I'm coming home."

"That's great, I've missed you so much. When will you be home?"

"Probably in a couple of weeks. When I do get there, I'm taking you out for dinner, OK?"

"Oh, yes please and this time I want the whole of Lima to know that we are together."

"Hey, I'm all for that. It was you who wanted to keep it quiet in the first place."

"I know, I know, but not anymore. It's been too long since I felt your arms around me and I've missed them so I'll be damned if I'm gonna wait any longer than I have to."

"Oh baby, how I've missed you. If I can talk them into it we might be there sooner."

"Yes please."

"I have to go but I'll call you later tonight. Talk to you then."

Mercedes was smiling as she hung up and Kurt raised his eyebrows.

"Whoever that was got you smiling. Spill Mer, who was on the phone?"

Mercedes looked at Kurt and then Blaine, knowing that it was time to start telling people.

"It was Sam, he's coming back to McKinley."

"That's great." Kurt said before looking hard at his best friend. "But why did he call you?"

Mercedes looked back and forth between the two boys as she took a deep breath thinking that it was now or never.

"Because we are dating and have been since junior prom."

Kurt bounced over and threw his arms around her, laughing.

"That's great news. I'm so happy for you Mer. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to keep it ours for a little while. Please tell me that you understand."

"Of course I do. Come on, Blaine and I are taking you out to celebrate. Let's go."

The three of them got into Kurt's car and headed off to 'The Lima Bean'. They talked non-stop the whole way.

"So, are we going to 'The Bean'?" Ciaran asked, looking over at the girls, making sure that his eyes didn't linger for too long on Chrissy even though that was exactly what he wanted to do.

"I'm sorry Ciaran but I have to head straight home. We are going to see Kevin this weekend, it's his birthday."

"I'm out too." Sienna told him. "I have to baby-sit in about an hour so I have to go home and get changed and what not so I had better get moving. See you on Monday."

Looking over at Alex, Ciaran sighed. He'd hoped to spend more time with Chrissy. They always had such a blast when they went out after school. Now he didn't know what he wanted to do. Reluctantly he turned to Jaimie and told him that he should probably head home and try to remember the damn dance moves for the Hairspray number.

"Why don't I come over and help you with them. I'm pretty good, even if I do say so myself."

"That'd be great Jaimie, thanks. Finn might be interested as well. Would that be ok with you?"

"Sure, not a problem. Will he be at your place?"

"Yeah, he and Rachel usually hang out there after school. Come to think of it, so do Kurt and Blaine. We should make a night of it. Why don't you stay over and we can work on it all night."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you there in an hour."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: To those of you who are still with me, here is the next chapter. I hope you are enjoying the story. I would love to hear your feedback. So, please read on. Thank you so much.**

**CHAPTER NINE**

Walking into school on Monday, Ciaran realised how much he had missed seeing Chrissy over the weekend. He still hadn't really figured out what to do. He really cared for her but did he want to pursue anything knowing that in all likelihood he would be going back to Ireland in about four months. He'd spoken to his dad on the weekend and he had said that the promising job interviews hadn't lead to any jobs. His dad was even thinking about heading back even earlier than planned. Could he hurt Chrissy like that? Or should he just be her friend and spend as much time with her as possible? He was still debating with himself when he walked into homeroom and sat down next to Sienna. It was only when the bell rang, rousing him out of his thoughts, that he realised that Chrissy wasn't there.

"Where's Chrissy? Is everything alright? Is she ok?" He asked Sienna worriedly.

"Calm down dude. She's fine. Her folks decided to stay an extra night. She'll be home later today. She rang me last night so I could tell Mr Schue." Sienna replied, watching him intently. Slowly her eyes widened as he avoided her gaze. "Why were you so worried Ciaran?"

"Because she's my friend."

"So, you'd be just as worried if it was me? Or Jaimie?"

Ciaran looked at her before quickly looking away again mumbling sure, making sure to keep his eyes on their teacher. He wished that the bell would hurry up and ring. When it did, he sprung out of his seat and literally ran out of the room, leaving a smiling Sienna behind. Oh crap, had he given too much away? He'd probably be best to avoid Sienna as much as possible, without looking like he was trying to avoid her. At least until she forgot that little conversation that they had just had.

He actually did manage to avoid her for the rest of the day but he didn't think that he could avoid her at glee. Luckily they were so busy rehearsing that they didn't have time to talk, which was good. What would he tell her anyway? Hell, he didn't even have that answer for himself.

But it seemed like he was worrying over nothing. Sienna didn't make any reference to his behaviour that morning over the next few weeks and they had spent a lot of time together. All of the glee club had. They had organised extra dance rehearsals, not only for those like him who were struggling but for everyone. It seemed that they all wanted to do a great job for Mr Schue.

Before they knew it, the big day had arrived and as they were getting ready, Emma came in to talk to Will and to wish them all good luck. Ciaran stood in a corner, blocking out everything else that was going on in the room, as he went through the steps one last time.

Owing to the fact that he had his eyes closed, he didn't see Chrissy walk over to him and he jumped when she placed her hand on his back.

"Hey you. Are you ok?" She asked softly, watching him intently.

"Yeah, I just hope that I don't blow it." Ciaran replied nervously.

"You'll be great. I've been watching you during rehearsals." She said shyly.

"Oh really?" He responded with a twinkle in his eye, causing her to laugh out loud as she slapped his arm.

"Stop it, and yes, I've been watching you and with every rehearsal you've been getting better and better. Trust me Ciaran, you'll be wonderful."

Just then Will clapped his hands to get everyone's attention just as Quinn, Santana and Brittney ran into the room.

"OK, the Cheerios have finished, so we'll be up after the jazz band." He looked at the three girls. "Will you be alright?"

"Sure thing Mr Schue." Quinn called out from behind the changing screens.

"Yeah Mr Schue, Coach Sylvester trains us harder than what we'll be doing today. This is easy. A lot more fun too." Santana said.

"OK then. As soon as the girls are ready, we'll head out."

Will was surprised when not more than ten minutes later; the entire glee club was standing in front of him ready to perform. They all looked so good in their sixties outfits. He had even dressed the same as the boys, as he would be introducing them. They had all worked so hard and he was proud of all of them. Just then, Becky ran in and told them that it was their turn.

"Alright, let's go guys." Will said as they all headed out of the room and made their way to the gymnasium. The kids split into two groups as they headed down the hallway. Half of them would enter from the left while the rest would enter from the right. Will waited with the kids at the right hand door, waiting for the kids to appear at the left door. When he saw them, he nodded to Blaine before stepping out into the gymnasium and walking to the middle of the court.

"Welcome everyone; it's time for the 'Corny Collins Show' to begin. So sit back and enjoy the show." He said extravagantly before walking over and taking a seat next to Emma.

As the audience clapped, Blaine came out waving to everyone. He jogged to the middle of the court and spoke to the Governor and the other V.I.P. guests.

"Welcome to the 'Corny Collins Show', I'm your host, Corny Collins. You've picked a great day to join us as we are about to crown our 'Ultraclutch Hairspray' winner.

Will sat in the bleaches with Emma, watching the performance. He was glad that they had decided to do this little scene first. He settled in, putting his arm around Emma and smiled as Blaine continued.

"So, without further ado, please welcome, 'The Nicest Kids In Town' to the stage."

All but three of the kids came running out, with big smiles on their faces, waving to the audience. They all gathered around Blaine with four of the girls lined up on his right.

"Here are our four finalists. So I guess it's time to announce our winner. Can I have the envelope please?"

The four girls; Brittney, Santana, Rachel and Tina were looking excited as they waited for the announcement. When Rick handed the envelope to Blaine, the girls started to jump up and down. Blaine opened the envelope and removed the card form inside.

"Our winner will be our lead girl for the next year." He said, looking over at the four girls. "They have been judged by you, our audience, on their singing and dancing abilities. We did have five finalists but it seems like one of the girls decided not to continue. So, our winner is…"

Before he could make the announcement, he was interrupted by Lauren walking in from the rear right hand door.

"I don't think so Corny. I didn't pull out at all. I was pushed. But you know what? A crown isn't what I covert, not like some people. I just want to sing and dance. Hit it Brad."

_You cant stop an avalanche  
>As it races down the hill<br>You can try to stop the seasons, girl  
>But ya know you never will<br>And you can try to stop my dancin' feet_

_But I just cannot stand still_  
><em>Cause the world keeps spinnin'<em>  
><em>Round and round<em>  
><em>And my heart's keeping time<em>  
><em>To the speed of sound<em>  
><em>I was lost till I heard the drums<em>  
><em>Then I found my way<em>

Puck joined her in the song as the rest of the glee club started to dance behind them. Will nervously darted his eyes around the group but they were all doing wonderfully.

_Cause you can't stop the beat_

_Ever since this old world began_  
><em>A woman found out if she shook it<em>  
><em>She could shake up a man<em>  
><em>And so i'm gonna shake and shimmy it<em>  
><em>The best that I can today<em>

_'Cause you cant stop_  
><em>The motion of the ocean<em>  
><em>Or the sun in the sky<em>  
><em>You can wonder if you wanna<em>  
><em>But I never ask why<em>

_And if you try to hold me down_  
><em>I'm gonna spit in your eye and say<em>

_That you can't stop the beat!_

Will watched as Quinn and Mike made their way over to begin their lines right on cue. All eyes immediately went to the two new singers as they made their way to the centre of the group.

_You can't stop a river  
>As it rushes to the sea<em>

_You can try and stop the hands of time_  
><em>But ya know it just can't be<em>

_And if they try to stop us, Seaweed,_  
><em>I'll call the N A A C P<em>  
><em>Cause the world keeps spinning<em>  
><em>Round and 'round<em>  
><em>And my heart's keeping time<em>  
><em>To the speed of sound<em>  
><em>I was lost till I heard the drums<em>  
><em>Then I found my way<em>

_Cause you can't stop the beat_

_Ever since we first saw the light_  
><em>A man and woman liked to shake it<em>  
><em>On a Saturday night<em>  
><em>And so i'm gonna shake and shimmy it<em>  
><em>With all my might today<em>

_'Cause you cant stop_  
><em>The motion of the ocean<em>  
><em>Or the rain from above<em>  
><em>You can try to stop the paradise<em>  
><em>We're dreamin' of<em>  
><em>But you cannot stop the rhythm<em>  
><em>Of two hearts in love to stay<em>  
><em>Cause you cant stop the beat!<em>

Will watched as Chrissy walked to the front of the group and stood alongside Lauren, smiling. Will was glad that he had convinced her to sing this part of the song.

_You cant stop my happiness  
>Cause I like the way I am<br>And you just can't stop my knife and fork  
>When I see a Christmas ham<br>so if you don't like the way I look  
>Well, I |just don't give a damn!<em>

_Cause the world keeps spinning_  
><em>Round and 'round<em>  
><em>And my heart's keeping time<em>  
><em>To the speed of sound<em>  
><em>I was lost till I heard those drums<em>  
><em>Then I found my way<em>

_'Cause you cant stop the beat_

_Ever since this old world began_  
><em>A woman found out if she shook it<em>  
><em>She could shake up a man<em>  
><em>And so i'm gonna shake and shimmy it<em>  
><em>The best that I can today<em>

_Cause you can't stop  
>The motion of the ocean<br>Or the sun in the sky  
>You can wonder if you wanna<br>But I never ask why  
>And if you try to hold me down<br>I'm gonna spit in your eye and say _

_That you can't stop the beat!_

When the rest of the group had joined in with her, Chrissy's smile had grown even bigger. They then all paired off and started the more complex part of the dance routine. Once again, Will sat forward and watched them all and he could see that they were all doing amazingly. Pairing Ciaran with Santana seemed to have worked well. She took the lead and he gamely followed her. Brittney danced around Artie while he moved in his chair. Finn and Rachel danced well together as did Puck and Lauren. Quinn and Mike were off to one side of the group, maintaining their characters distance from the main group as were Blaine and Mercedes on the other side of the group. The rest of the couples: Kurt and Tina, Chrissy and Rick as well as Jaimie and Sienna blended in well with the rest of the group and they were all doing a fabulous job. Will sat back in his seat, relaxing as he watched them finish their performance.

Off to the side, Blaine and Mercedes had stopped dancing and Blaine was gently pushing her towards the rest of the group. Mercedes was smiling back at him but when she reached the right spot, she started to sing with the rest of the group coming in and backing her up.

_Oh, oh, oh  
>You can't stop today<br>As it comes speeding down the track  
>Child, yesterday is hist'ry<br>And it's never coming back_

_'Cause tomorrow is a brand new day_  
><em>And it don't know white from black<em>

_Yeah!_

_'Cause the world keeps spinning_  
><em>'Round and 'round<em>  
><em>And my heart's keeping time<em>  
><em>To the speed of sound<em>  
><em>I was lost till I heard the drums<em>  
><em>Then I found my way<em>  
><em>'Cause you can't stop the beat<em>

_Ever since we first saw the light  
>A man and woman liked to shake it<br>On a Saturday night  
>And so i'm gonna shake and shimmy it<br>With all my might today_

_'Cause you can't stop  
>The motion of the ocean<br>Or the rain from above  
>They can try to stop the paradise<br>We're dreaming of  
>But you cannot stop the rhythm<br>Of two hearts in love to stay  
>You can't stop the beat!<em>

_Aah, aah, aah_  
><em>Aah, aah, aah<em>  
><em>Aah, aah, aah<em>

_Ever since we first saw the sun_

_A man and woman like to shake_

_Till the day is done_

_So we're gonna shake and shimmer_

_Till we've had some fun for today_

_And you can't stop_  
><em>The motion of the ocean<em>  
><em>Or the rain from above<em>  
><em>You can try to stop the paradise<em>  
><em>We're dreaming of<em>  
><em>But you cannot stop the rhythm<em>  
><em>Of two hearts in love to stay<em>

_You can't stop the beat!  
>You can't stop the beat!<br>You can't stop the beat!  
>You can't stop the beat!<br>You can't stop the beat!_

As the song came to an end, the couples formed a semi-circle around Lauren and Puck who were dancing in the middle. On the final few beats of the song, Puck leaned down and gently kissed his girlfriend. The cheers from the audience finally penetrated his brain and he stepped back, still holding her hand and he looked around at his friends who were also clapping and cheering amongst themselves. Rachel pulled them into a line and they bowed to the audience before running back to the choir room.

Everyone was to busy, talking at once, clapping each other on the back and hugged each other to notice that someone else was already in the room and it wasn't until he spoke that they realized.

"That was fantastic guys. Looks like you don't need me at all."

Mercedes was the first to move, calling out Sam's name as she ran over to him and threw her arms around him for a hug. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the hug before pulling back and taking her face gently into his hands, looking lovingly into her eyes.

"Hey beautiful, I have missed you so much." He said softly before he lowered his head and kissed her. When the kiss ended, Mercedes turned to the rest of the group. Everyone stood there with a shocked look on their faces. Everyone except the new kids and of course Kurt and Blaine who had known for a few weeks about their relationship. Kurt broke the ranks first and he welcomed Sam back, thus breaking the stunned silence in the room. Soon, everyone else was crowding around Sam, asking him all sorts of questions. He felt Mercedes' hand slip from his, so he looked over to find her being pulled away by the girls.

Chrissy stood to the side, watching the two groups. Clearly something big had just happened but she really didn't know what. She was so busy watching everyone else that she didn't see him approach her. When he touched her elbow she jumped, her heart beating a little bit faster. She placed a hand on her chest as she turned around to face him. He asked to talk to her outside in the hall. Surprised at the request, she nodded and followed him out.

Ciaran stood next to Finn and watched as Chrissy left the room. He wondered what was going on out there. He walked away from the boys and made his way to the door. Opening it just enough to look outside; he tried to see where they had gone. They had moved down the hall a little bit which allowed him to step out of the room but still remain hidden behind the back end of the lockers. He leant against the wall and unashamedly listened to their conversation.

Chrissy stood looking up at Rick. He hadn't spoken since he'd asked her to come into the hall. Whatever he had to say was clearly important to him so she waited. When he looked at her, she smiled.

"Ummm…." He said shyly, looking at her briefly before looking at his feet.

Chrissy waited for him to speak again.

"Um, Chrissy, I was wondering if you would like to go to, ummm, maybe, ummm, go to the movies with me tomorrow night?"

Chrissy was startled, to say the least. She really didn't know much about Rick other than that he was a junior. He was a very quiet guy who didn't really talk that much in glee club. Before she could give him an answer he started to speak again.

"It's just that you seem to be a great girls and I'd just like to get to know you better. But please, don't' feel pressured."

Chrissy placed her hand on his forearm.

"Of course I'll go with you. It'll be fun. What time do you want to meet?"

Ciaran closed his eyes and cursed himself for leaving his move too late. He'd missed his moment. Chrissy was going out on a date with Rick. He hung his head and took a couple of deep breaths, only moving inside the room when he heard the other two approach. He then watched as Rick and Chrissy re-entered the room. He watched as they parted and Chrissy made her way over to Sienna. He watched them as they talked and he saw Sienna's eyes open wide before she threw a quick look over to him and then she turned back to her friend and gave her a huge hug. He saw Chrissy smile and blush at whatever Sienna had just said to her. When he saw how happy she looked, a piece of his heart broke off.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for the continued support with this story. If you are enjoying it please let me know, I'd love to hear from you. If you have some constructive criticism, I'd like to hear that as well. So that's all, hope you enjoy.**

**CHAPTER TEN**

Chrissy still couldn't believe that Rick had asked her out. She hadn't known that he was even interested in her. To be honest, she hadn't really thought of him in that way, she'd been so focused on Ciaran. As soon as she realised that, she started to worry. Should she have said yes considering her feelings for Ciaran? Should she cancel? Or was this the best way to move on? She started to chew on her bottom lip as she subconsciously debated with herself as she walked down the hallway.

"OK, what's going on inside that brain of yours?" Sienna asked as she walked up beside her. "Are you wondering what to wear tomorrow night?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I should even go at all."

Sienna grabbed her friends arm, pulled her into an empty classroom and sat her down in the first chair she found. She then sat on the desk in front of her.

"Chrissy honey, why are you thinking that? A hot guy asked you out. Of course you should go. Talk to me girl."

Ciaran had seen Sienna pull Chrissy into a classroom and even though he knew that it was wrong to eavesdrop, his curiosity got the better of him. He quickly ran up to the door, thankful that it was still open. When he looked in, he saw them both sitting down and he heard Sienna ask Chrissy why she was thinking about not going. He could only assume that they were talking about her date with Rick and his heart was buoyed. He stood still and unashamedly listened to his two friends as Chrissy started to talk.

"Si, how can I go out with Rick when I still have feelings for…...? Well, isn't that being unfair to Rick?"

"Chrissy, you said that you wanted to get over him. What better way than by going out with a hot guy. And who knows, you may find out that you and he have things in common."

"So it's not being unfair to him?" Chrissy sounded worried.

"No honey, it's not unfair. First dates are just that, first dates. It's getting to know each other, to see if you want a second date. Go out with Rick and have fun. Forget everything and everyone else. Enjoy yourself and then, after the date, there'll be time to assess everything else. OK? Can you do that?"

Chrissy looked at her friend and smiled as she nodded. What Sienna had said was right. She'd go out with Rick but she would have to be careful, she didn't want to lead him on in any way, in case it went no further than the one date.

"OK, one date and then I'll see how I feel."

"Yay." Sienna said as she clapped her hands together once before she gave her friend a hug. "So, that's all sorted. I'll come by tomorrow and we'll pick out an outfit together. Now, let's go home."

Ciaran moved away from the door, he didn't want the girls to see him so he headed quickly down the hallway. Just as he reached the corner, he stopped and looked back just as the girls exited the room. Chrissy was looking back at Sienna so he knew that she hadn't seen her. He couldn't resist standing there for a little bit longer, watching her. As he was leaving his gaze collided with Sienna's and his eyes widened in surprise while she just gave him a knowing smile, letting him know that she had seen him looking at Chrissy. He also saw that she knew that he'd been standing outside of the classroom listening to their conversation. He turned his gaze from the girls and ran around the corner.

Later that afternoon, he received a text from Sienna which gave him further hope. He re-read it for the fourth time and he smiled as he read, 'Time to step up Ciaran. If you don't do something and soon you WILL lose her. Man up.' He wondered if Sienna would help him. Either way, he'd take her suggestion to heart. He'd show Chrissy that he was the one she should be with. He just had to figure out how.

Sienna sat on the bed as Chrissy finished up her make-up. Her friend still looked nervous. She hoped that she was doing the right thing. She wanted her friend to be happy and she knew that to be truly happy, she belonged with Ciaran. The way Chrissy's eyes lit up whenever he was around told her that her friend's feelings for him ran deeper than even she realised. The text had been her way of letting Ciaran know that he still had a chance. She felt bad about encouraging Chrissy to go on the date but it served two purposes; it showed Chrissy that guys did want to date her and it made Ciaran jealous. If Ciaran came to her for help, she would of course help him because she believed that they belonged together. But it was her friend's happiness that ultimately mattered to her the most.

Chrissy was actually having a good time. Rick was quite funny and he had her laughing all through dinner. From the moment he picked her up, they had been talking. They had similar interests and it turned out that Rick's older sister went to the same college as her brother Kevin. They'd talked about their tastes in music, she loved country and he loved R&B, and their favourite artists, her's were Lady Antebellum while he didn't really have a favourite, he just loved the Motown era. They talked about their classes and Chrissy wasn't at all surprised to find out that Rick was taking a couple of senior classes as well as his normal junior classes. He was clearly very smart. The evening flew by and before she knew it, they were being served desert. When they had finished their meal and Rick had paid the bill, he walked over and held the chair for her as she stood up and he kept a hold of her elbow as they left the restaurant.

They continued to talk on the drive home and then Rick walked her up to the front door. As they were walking, Chrissy started to worry again. She _had _enjoyed the evening and Rick's company. It brought her back to her original dilemma. Should she pursue this, for want of a better word, relationship? She still had feelings for Ciaran and even though the night had been great, those feelings weren't going to go away any time soon. Those feelings were also a lot stronger than anything she felt for Rick. When they reached the porch, Rick turned to face Chrissy.

"Thank you for a lovely evening Chrissy, I had a great time and I hope you did too."

"I did Rick, very much."

"I would like to take you out again. Would that be ok?"

"Come here Rick." Chrissy said, leading him over to the seat on the porch. "I need to talk to you."

Rick sat down and looked over at her anxiously. She sat beside him and stared out into the black night, trying to figure out how to tell him what she needed to tell him. Finally she decided to just tell him the truth, so she turned towards him and took a deep breath.

"I want you to know that I really did have a great time tonight and you are an amazing guy who I would love to spend more time with but I also need you to know that I have feelings for someone else."

"So why did you agree to go out with me tonight?" He interrupted.

"Because you asked and he didn't." She replied quickly. "I don't want to hurt you Rick. You are a kind, sweet guy. And as I said, I'd really like to get to know you better but I can't promise anything more than friendship at the moment. So, do you still want to go out with me again?"

Rick looked at her for a moment and she could see that he was trying to come to a decision. He didn't look too angry but neither did he look too happy. She hoped that it would all work out. Now, if only she could figure out what to do about Ciaran and her feelings for him. He could be leaving, if not America, than definitely Lima if his dad got a job, whereas Rick would be staying here. Why couldn't she let Ciaran go? She was only hurting herself in the long run and she could be missing out on something special with Rick. He took hold of her hand, bringing her attention back to him. He smiled at her, which she took as a positive sign.

"I can't say that I'm not a little bit hurt that you agreed to go out with me while you had feelings for someone else but I too would like to get to know you better and who knows, given time, those feelings for this other guy might dissipate. So for now, let's just start with being friends and take it form there. I really like you Chrissy but I won't rush you."

"Thank you Rick and I am sorry that you got hurt." Chrissy said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I really did have a good time. So I'll say goodnight now. I'll see you on Monday at school."

Chrissy watched as he stood up and walked back to his car. She was subconsciously gnawing at her bottom lip, hoping she'd done the right thing. Maybe she should have cancelled, not let Rick believe throughout their meal that things might progress after tonight. She was so confused, Rick was a nice guy but Ciaran was the one who had a hold of her heart. Sighing, she entered the house and headed to her room.

Ciaran couldn't concentrate on the DVD that Rachel had put in. He kept looking at the clock, wondering what Chrissy and Rick were doing on their date. He had accepted the invite to join Finn and Rachel, along with Kurt and Blaine because he had thought that their company would distract him but it hadn't worked. They had made sure to include him but nothing seemed to work and when they had sat down to watch the movie, both couples had started to cuddle, making Ciaran wish even more that he had Chrissy sitting beside him, with his arms wrapped around her. He sat through the movie, his mind whirring, thinking about what he could do next. How could he win Chrissy? Make her his. He was still wrapped up in his thoughts when the movie ended and he didn't hear Finn talking to him. It wasn't until Rachel touched his shoulder that he turned his attention to his friends.

"Dude, what's wrong? You've been kinda spacey all night." 

"I've just got something on my mind and I'm trying to figure it out."

"Maybe we can help." Blaine said from the chair that he was sharing with Kurt.

Ciaran looked around at the four of them, still unsure if he should tell them. He finally decided to tell them and see if they could help. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"There's this girl that I like and I'm pretty sure she likes me but I'm afraid that I might have left if too late. She's on a date with someone else. What do you think I should do?" 

"Why did you leave it so long?" Rachel asked softly.

"Because I didn't know how long I'd be staying. Hell, I still don't but I realised that whatever time I have here, I want to spend it with her. What can I do? How do I tell her how I feel?"

The others looked at one another and they all seemed to smile at each other and then they all answered at the same time.

"Sing to her."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. For those still reading, thank you so very much. I'm typing the next chapter straight away. So hopefully it won't be long. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review. I'd love to know what you think. Thank you again.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Ciaran hadn't been able to think about anything other than what the guys had told him to do. He would do it, he'd sing to her. Now all he had to do was to find the perfect song. He pulled out his I-Pod and scrolled through his playlist as he lay on his bed. The song had to be just right, it had to convey how he felt. He was interrupted an hour later by his uncle LeRoy who told him that lunch was ready. When he entered the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see Finn already sitting at the table. He was over more often than not on weekends. He nodded at Ciaran as he entered the kitchen, his mouth full of food. Ciaran sat at the table and started to eat his lunch. His uncles always cooked a hot meal for Sunday lunch and it reminded him of home.

"So Ciaran, have you thought of a song yet?" Rachel asked.

"I think so." Ciaran replied. "At least, I know who I want to sing, something from Lady Antebellum. They are her favourite band. Well either them or Taylor Swift, she loves her as well."

"Sounds good, if you need a hand let me know." Rachel offered. "I sang a Lady A song with Noah last year. They are fantastic. Do you remember Finn?"

Finn didn't look to happy and Ciaran figured that there must be a story behind it. He saw Finn nod his head brusquely and Rachel put her hand over his and squeezed it gently as she smiled at him. Finn smiled back and Ciaran was convinced that they had just had a whole conversation. They clearly needed no words to speak to each other. He turned back to his food with a smile, listening with half an ear to the conversation that was going on around him.

Chrissy looked at her phone, not at all surprised to see that it was Sienna who was calling. She was actually quite surprised that she had waited til now to call her. Excusing herself from lunch, Chrissy went into her room to take the call.

"Hey Si, what's up?"

"What do you mean, what's up? Why didn't you ring me last night? And why haven't you already called me today? How did it go? Was it fun or a complete disaster?"

"Slow down Si. I didn't call you last night because it was late and then I slept in this morning so thank you for not called me at the crack of dawn."

"You're welcome." Sienna interrupted. "How was it?"

Chrissy laughed at her friend's excitement. Sienna had seen her through so much. "It was a nice night. I had a great time. You were right Si; we actually have quite a lot in common. Although the end of the date wasn't as much fun though."

"Why honey? What happened?"

"I told him that I still had feelings for someone else."

"Oh sweetie, how did he take that bit of news?"

"He was hurt, naturally. But he's happy to take things slow. Start off as friends and see where it goes."

"And what about Ciaran?"

"Sienna, who am I kidding? He's clearly not interested in me in that way. We've been hanging out together, practically every day, for a month and I've never seen him show the least bit of interest."

"What about the party? You told me that he was very, what were your words? Oh yeah, he seemed to be very kind, gentle and caring to you when you were in the kitchen together, alone. What about that?"

"Sienna, I had just had a fall. He was only being a friend. That was all it was."

"But you said….."

"Sienna, I had bumped my head. Clearly I wasn't seeing things properly. I thought you'd be happy to see that I had a great time and that I might have found a way to move on."

"I am Chrissy but I want you to be sure. You know that I only want you to be happy."

"Alright then, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I have to go, dad is calling me."

"Ok, see you tomorrow at school. Love you Chrissy."

"Love you too Si."

Just as she'd finished her lunch, Chrissy's phone rang again. She just rolled her eyes, thinking that Sienna had forgotten to tell her something so she was surprised to hear Rick's voice on the other end when she answered. She walked over to her favourite chair as she talked to him. They talked for two hours but it wasn't until her mum walked up to her and tapped her watch that Chrissy realised how long they had been talking. She hadn't opened up to many people in her life. To be honest, before this year it had really only been Sienna, they'd been friends for a long time. But over the last month she had opened up to Ciaran and now Rick. She didn't really understand it.

"I have to go Rick. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Sure thing Chrissy. Will you sit with me at lunch tomorrow?"

"I'd love to. See you then."

Chrissy was smiling as she hung up the phone. Maybe this could work. For the entire time that she had been talking to Rick, she hadn't thought of Ciaran once. But nowt hat she had thought about him, she wondered what he was doing now and what he had done over the weekend.

When Ciaran entered home room, his smile grew bigger the moment he spotted Chrissy, who was sitting next to Sienna. Neither girl had seen him enter and they didn't stop their conversation when he sat down next to Chrissy. He only had to hear a couple of sentences to know that he didn't want to hear any more. They were clearly talking about Rick and Chrissy's date on Saturday night. Hearing Chrissy's voice, he realised that she'd had a good time and he clenched his hands in jealousy. Why hadn't he made his move sooner? It had been a few weeks since the party. He'd known how he felt; he should have asked her then. He'd have to get moving on this song. He'd finally decided on one and had been practicing it most of the previous night. He wanted it to be perfect, so he'd talked to Brad this morning about getting him to accompany him at glee club; he just had to get the jazz band to help as well. But he'd noticed that they pretty much were always at glee club anyway.

Luckily, during their classes together, Chrissy didn't mention Rick or their date again and Ciaran made sure that her focus stayed on him. They talked non-stop; Ciaran even flirted a little with her. He watched as she blushed and her eyes sparkled. Only when the teacher told them to be quiet, did they stop but Ciaran made sure to place his hand over hers and he didn't remove it.

Chrissy looked down at their hands and waited for Ciaran to remove his. When he didn't, the butterflies that had been fluttering around moved into overdrive. What the hell was going on? Ciaran had been very, very affectionate towards her. More than usual and it only confused her more. Just when she'd thought that she'd be able to move on, he did this and all her feeling rushed to the surface, crushing any feelings that might have been growing for Rick. What did his actions mean? Did he feel something more than friendship or was he just being affectionate. Either way, she didn't move her hand either. She cherished the feeling of her hand in his. When the bell rang and he removed his hand, she felt bereft but as they left he classroom, he placed a hand on her lower back and she felt a tingle the whole way up her back. When they got out into the hallway, Ciaran slipped his arm all the way around her waist and was just about to throw caution to the wind and ask her out when someone stopped right in front of them. He looked up and was annoyed to see Rick standing there.

"Are you ready for lunch Chrissy?" He asked, holding out his hand to her.

Chrissy looked between the two boys, torn. She wanted to stay right where she was, with Ciaran's arm wrapped around her but then Rick was there with his kind eyes and she knew that she couldn't break her promise to have lunch with him. Turning to Ciaran, she smiled and told him that she'd see him in glee club. Ciaran wasn't happy but he smiled back at her and nodded. He watched as the two of them walked down the hallway. When he saw Rick put his arm around his shoulder, he couldn't take it any longer; he turned away, hitting the locker in front of him. When he turned back, he came face to face with Sienna and Jaimie. Sienna was smiling smugly at him. Giving a frustrated sigh, he headed off to the cafeteria.

Over the last few weeks, the entire glee club had taken to sitting together but when he reached the table, he noticed that Chrissy and Rick weren't there. Before he sat down, he looked around the room but he couldn't see either of them. He sat down glumly, in between Blaine and the blonde haired kid called Sam. Rachel had told him on Friday night who he was but Ciaran hadn't really been listening, he'd been too worked up about Chrissy's date. The conversation around the table just flowed over him as he kept an eye out for the other two. When they did eventually show up, Rick's arm was still around Chrissy's shoulder and both of them were laughing. He automatically clenched his fists, squashing the sandwich he was holding. He wasn't even aware that he was even doing it but Blaine had seen.

"Ah Ciaran, what's going on?" He asked as he touched his friend's forearm.

Ciaran didn't look at him but mumbled quietly. "Nothing, why?"

"Because you seemed to have murdered your sandwich."

Ciaran looked down at his hands and released what was left of the sandwich with disgust before looking back at Rick and Chrissy. Blaine followed his gaze and realisation dawned on him. Chrissy was the girl that Ciaran had been talking about on Saturday night. Blaine looked at the two late arrivers and then back at Ciaran. Yep, it was written all over his face for everyone, except maybe Chrissy, to read. He had it bad. Blaine then looked over at Rick. He too was looking at Chrissy with that same intense look. This could end very badly he thought.

Ciaran kept his eyes on the pair as they sat at the far end of the table. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. Whenever anyone spoke to him, he wasn't sure if he had given them an intelligent answer and if he was honest, he didn't really care. Once or twice Chrissy looked up at him. The first time, she was surprised to see him watching her and she glanced away quickly. The next time however, she continued to watch him as well. Their eyes seemed to bore into each other, Ciaran giving her a small smile which she returned. Then the cheeky side of him emerged and he winked at her, causing her to blush and look down at the table but not for long. Her gaze quickly returned to his and he began to think that maybe, just maybe, he still had a chance. However, he knew that he shouldn't wait another day. He had to sing to her today. When the bell rang, everyone stood up and Ciaran lost eye contact with Chrissy as she turned to talk to Rick.

Chrissy's heart was beating so fast. When she'd looked over at Ciaran, she'd been so surprised to see him looking at her that she had looked away but her curiosity had got the better of her and she had looked back at him and she had been transfixed by his eyes. She couldn't explain, but she felt a connection with him that she didn't feel with anyone else. Something had changed between them. She'd thought so back in class but now she was sure. And then he'd winked at her and she could feel her face redden as she blushed. She looked away again but her gaze was quickly drawn back to his. When the bell rang, Rick touched her elbow as they stood and she turned to talk to him.

Rick couldn't fail to notice what was going on between Chrissy and Ciaran. She couldn't take her eyes off him and it looked like Ciaran was the same. Clearly Ciaran was the person she had feeling for. Rick watched them stare at each other. He could see that Ciaran had the same feelings but damn, he wasn't going to give in that easily. He'd made a connection with Chrissy and she had with him, he knew that she had. He would do whatever he could do to win her. Touching her elbow as they stood up, he smiled when she turned to him and he raised his hand, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. He told her that he'd see her at glee and he than leaned in and whispered in her ear that he had a surprise for her and then he gently kissed her on the cheek before turning around and heading out of the cafeteria.

None of them actually took much in during their final lessons for the day. They were all focused on something else. Ciaran was going through his performance; Rick was working on his surprise while Chrissy's attention was split between both the boys. The way Ciaran had been looking at her during lunch, the way he'd been touching her earlier and then there was Rick; the whisper and that kiss. She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Things like this didn't happen to girls like her. She didn't want to hurt anyone, she knew how that felt. She knew how she felt and her mum had always told her to listen to her heart, but could she do it?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Well here is the last chapter. The whole reason for this story was that I imagined Damian's character singing the song to Hannah's character. It wasn't going to be cannon so I decided to write a fic about it. I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you again for sticking with me. It has taken me longer than I anticipated getting in posted. I have some writers block and then computer issues. If you have enjoyed it, please send me a review. **

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

As Chrissy was walking to glee club she was joined by a grinning, humming Sienna. Looking over at her friend, she waited until Sienna looked over at her before she raised her eyebrows and asked her why she'd so happy all day.

"Because I too had a great weekend, I bumped into Santana and some of the others at the movies last night and I ended up seeing a movie with them."

"And why am I only just now hearing about this? What did you see?"

"Because you've been very occupied today. This is the first moment I've had to get you alone. We saw 'Woman in Black'."

"Hang on, you HATE scary movies. Why did you agree to see it?"

"Well duh, because Santana asked me. When I told her that I scare easily she said that I could hold her hand. How could I say no to that?"

"You couldn't of course. And did you? Hold her hand I mean."

"Definitely and then I never let it go. I even hid my face against her shoulder and when the scary bits were over, I just left my head resting on her shoulder. It was THE BEST NIGHT EVER."

"Si, you know I love you and I want you to be happy but please, don't get ahead of yourself. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh Chrissy, I'll be fine. Not only did Santana not let my hand go during the movie, she held it till we said goodnight outside the cinema."

Chrissy smiled, happy for her friend, hoping that Sienna could find happiness. She deserved to have someone love her; she was such an amazing person. As they entered the room, Chrissy quickly scanned the room. When she saw Rick, she smiled quickly but she didn't linger on him. She frowned when she realised that Ciaran wasn't in the room. As she headed over to the left side of the room, she felt Sienna tug her over to the right. Chrissy turned her head and saw that her friend was heading over to Santana, who was tapping the seat beside her. Maybe there was something there after all. Sitting next to her best friend, she watched as Sienna and Santana whispered to each other and laughed quietly.

Ciaran had still not entered by the time Mr Schue had arrived and Chrissy was starting to worry. She really needed to talk to him, figure out what the hell was going on between them. The she would have to talk to Rick, something she really wasn't looking forward to. Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr Schue, who had started to talk to them.

"Seeing as I've had two members come up to me today and ask to sing, I've decided not to set any assignments today. We'll just see what they have to sing about. The first person to sing will be the first person who asked me. So, let's all give it up for Ciaran."

Chrissy watched as Ciaran walked in with the guy who always seemed to be around, ready to play the piano. Ciaran walked over to the mic and waited for Brad to start, his eyes never leaving Chrissy's as he smiled. When the music started, he mouthed that this song was for her. Rick, as well as everyone else, saw this and he sat up straighter, quickly glancing down at Chrissy. He saw Sienna bump her friend's shoulder and giggle as Chrissy started to blush. Ciaran then removed the mic from the stand and started to sing.

_Standing here with you so close to me  
>It's hard to fight these feelings<br>when it feels so hard to breathe  
>Caught up in this moment<br>Caught up in your smile_

_I never open up to anyone_  
><em>So hard to hold back<em>  
><em>when I'm holding you in my arms<em>  
><em>We don't need to rush this<em>  
><em>Let's just take it slow<em>

_Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight_  
><em>Just a touch of the fire burning so bright<em>  
><em>I don't want to mess this thing up<em>  
><em>I don't want to push too far<em>  
><em>Just a shot in the dark that you just might<em>  
><em>be the one I've been waiting for my whole life<em>  
><em>So baby I'm alright with just a kiss goodnight<em>

_I know that if we give this a little time_  
><em>it'll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find<em>  
><em>It's never felt so real<em>  
><em>No it's never felt so right<em>

Ciaran walked directly up to Chrissy and held out his hand. Chrissy took his hand and let him pull her up to join him. He encouraged her to sing with him and they sang the rest of the song together, looking into each others eyes.

_Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight  
>Just a touch of the fire burning so bright<br>I don't want to mess this thing up  
>I don't want to push too far<br>Just a shot in the dark that you just might  
>be the one I've been waiting for my whole life<br>So baby I'm alright with just a kiss goodnight_

_No I don't want say goodnight_  
><em>I know it's time leave but you'll be in my dreams<em>

_Tonight  
>Tonight<br>Tonight_

_Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight_  
><em>Just a touch of the fire burning so bright<em>  
><em>I don't want to mess this thing up<em>  
><em>I don't want to push too far<em>  
><em>Just a shot in the dark that you just might<em>  
><em>be the one I've been waiting for my whole life<em>  
><em>So baby I'm alright with just a kiss goodnight<em>

_Let's do this right with just a kiss goodnight_  
><em>With a kiss goodnight<em>  
><em>A kiss goodnight<em>

When the song ended, Chrissy just stared at Ciaran, not really sure that what just happened really happened. He'd serenaded her with one of her favourite songs. Ciaran smiled down at her and drew her in for a hug as he whispered in her ear.

"I meant every word. I can't promise that I will be staying here but for whatever time I have here, I want to spend it with you."

As he pulled back, he saw that Chrissy as crying, so he gently raised his hand to her face and wiped away her tears, asking her if she was ok? Chrissy just nodded and Ciaran dropped his hand from her cheek and he took hold of her hand as they walked over to the seats and sat down next to one another.

Rick watched as the two of them sat down, he'd never seen Chrissy so happy. Should he go ahead with his plan? Or should he just leave it be? He decided that he wasn't going to give up so easily. When he saw Mr Schue step up to the front again, he knew that his time had come. Mr Schue introduced him and Rick made his way down the risers and stood at the mic. When the music started, Chrissy sat up a bit and looked at Rick in surprise. She recognised the music; she'd only heard it on Saturday night in his car. She sighed softly as she closed her eyes. He was about to sing to her, just like Ciaran had.

_I've cried through many endless nights  
>Just holding my pillow tight<br>Then you came into my lonely days  
>With your tender love and sweet ways<br>Now I don't know where you come from baby  
>Don't know where you been my baby<br>Heaven must have sent you into my arms_

_Now in the morning when I awake  
>There's a smile upon my face<br>You touch my heart with gladness  
>Wiped away all of my sadness<br>For so long I've needed love right near me  
>A soft voice to cheer me<br>Heaven must have sent you baby into my life_

Chrissy let go of Ciaran's hand and held hers to her chest as she listened to Rick sing.

_Ooooh it's heaven in your arms  
>It's the sweetness of your charms<br>Makes me love you more each day  
>In your arms I wanna stay<em>

The rest of the glee kids all looked around at each other, wondering what the hell was going on. Rick was clearly singing to Chrissy as well.

_Wanna thank you for the joy you've brought me  
>Thank you for the things you taught me<br>Thank you for holding me close  
>When I needed you the most<br>Now I don't know much about you baby  
>But I know I can't live without you<br>Heaven must have sent you honey  
>To love only me<em>

Ciaran glared at Rick, with a murderous look. Hadn't this guy just seen what had gone on between him and Chrissy?

_It's heaven in your arms  
>It's the sweetness of your charms<br>Makes me love you more each day  
>In your arms I wanna stay<em>

Chrissy walked over to Rick when he finished singing and for a split second he thought that he'd won her over but then he saw her eyes as she took his hand and led him to the far side of the room, near the office. Ciaran watched, his blood boiling and his fists clenching. When Chrissy had gotten up, he'd felt bereft. He was sure that he'd proved that they belonged together but then Rick had to go and sing to her as well. Now she was holding his hand, talking softly to him, smiling at him. He didn't realize that the three of them had suddenly become the main focus of the rest of the glee club. Everyone kept looking between the two standing near the office and Ciaran, who had turned a lovely shade of red as he watched the two of them. He was just about to get up and walk over to the two of them when Sienna sat down beside him and placed her hand on his forearm.

"Leave it Ciaran. She's made her decision. Let her talk to him."

"Do you know what she's decided?"

She nodded and smiled at him. "Oh yes, I know, but I'll leave it to her to tell you." She said before moving away to sit down next to Santana again. Ciaran watched her leave and he saw Santana take her hand as she sat down. Ciaran gave a small smile, despite his own anxiety. Sienna had said that she'd get Santana to fall for her and it seemed like she was well on her way to achieving her goal. He then looked back at Chrissy and Rick, his anxiety growing even more as they continued to talk.

Chrissy held onto Rick's hand and thought about what she wanted to say to him. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him and began to talk.

"Rick, that song was beautiful. Thank you for singing it to me."

"I meant it Chrissy. Before you, I was very much alone and very lonely. You have brought so much happiness to my life."

"Oh Rick, I'm sorry that I can't feel for you the way that you seem to feel for me. Don't' get me wrong, I do care for you, you mean a lot to me, but..." Chrissy glanced over at Ciaran, who was looking at Sienna and then back at Rick. "but as you've probably figured out, Ciaran is the person that I have feelings for. I'm so sorry that you got hurt but I can't deny that Ciaran is the one that I truly want to be with. Please say that you forgive me." Chrissy looked at Rick and wiped the tears from her cheeks and waited for Rick to answer.

Rick looked at Chrissy, her eyes full of tears and he felt his own eyes start to tear up. Yes, he was hurt but he'd known from the beginning that he might not have a chance with her but he had to try. He was glad that he had. In those few short days between asking her out and today, he had changed and grown. He'd had the courage to ask her out, something he wouldn't have done a few months ago. Who knew, maybe he would be able to ask someone else out. Ultimately he wanted Chrissy to be happy and he knew that she would be with Ciaran.

Ciaran was still watching the two of them when his text alert sounded. Pulling his phone from his pocket he read the message on the screen, 'Son, ring me as soon as you can. Very important news to tell you.' Ciaran looked up and decided that there wasn't a better time than now to ring his father. He couldn't watch those two for a second longer. So he walked out into the hallway and called his dad. When he returned to the room, Chrissy and Rick were sitting back down. He was pleased and encouraged by the fact that they were sitting back in their original seats. He took that as a positive sign so he took a breath and asked Mr Schue if he could talk to the glee club. Mr Schue nodded and quickly sat down as Ciaran walked over to Chrissy and held out his hand for her again. She placed her hand in his and he gently pulled her to her feet. When she was standing next to him, he continued to hold her hand. She looked over at him and raised her eyebrows, confusion in her eyes. Ciaran leaned over and kissed her cheek in front of everyone.

"I have some news that I wanted to share with you all."

A few of the kids laughed and Puck called out that they weren't blind and they could clearly see what his news was. Ciaran looked at Chrissy again, raising her hand and placing a kiss on her knuckles.

"This is great news but it's something that Chrissy and I have to talk about. However, the news I wanted to share with you all will definitely have an influence on that talk."

"Just tell us already." Rachel and a couple of the others called out.

"All right. I just spoke to my dad." He said, looking at Chrissy as he squeezed her hand. "He got a job, a great job. I'm staying in America."

He heard Chrissy give a small squeal, just before her arms were thrown around his neck and she was hugging him as the rest of the glee club got up to join in the hug, all talking at once so that Ciaran didn't really understand what any one person was saying.

An hour later, he was sitting on the couch with Chrissy, holding her hand as he kissed her. They had come to his house to talk but they had quickly found something else to do. Letting go of her hand, he thread his fingers through her hair, gently lowering her back into the couch as their kiss deepened.

They were interrupted by Finn and Rachel as they walked into the lounge room. Rachel tried to back out but Finn was too big for her to pull out of the room quickly, without being seen but she persisted.

"Finn, let's go to my room." She whispered but it didn't matter because Ciaran and Chrissy had pulled apart and sat up.

"It's ok guys. Stay, please. We have forever to be together. We should talk anyway. Have you talked to your dads Rachel?"

"No I haven't, why?"

"Because dad said that for the remainder of the school year, I can stay here and your dads agreed. Mum is going to pack up the house back in Ireland and then come out here in about a month. She's going to visit with us for a couple of weeks and then she's going to be with dad."

"Are you moving to New York at the end of the year?"

"We'll talk about that when it's gets closer but I'll be going there during the holidays and mum and dad will come here to visit as often as they can."

"That's great Ciaran." Finn said, smiling as Rachel took his hand and finally pulled him away to her bedroom leaving Ciaran and Chrissy alone.

"So, when did you know?" Ciaran asked.

"Know what?" Chrissy replied innocently.

"How you felt about me."

Chrissy looked at him shyly. "From the very first day we met." She mumbled.

Ciaran chuckled softly and kissed her again. Before they got carried away, Chrissy pulled back and asked him when he knew.

"I was a little bit slower than you. It wasn't until your party. After the Karofsky incident."

"Took you long enough." She responded laughingly.

"But it was worth the wait. Wasn't it?"

"Most definitely." She said as she pulled him in for another kiss and at that moment, Chrissy had never been happier.


End file.
